Rafael Nadal is into the semi-finals of the Australian Open after beating the Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 in four hours and seven minutes.
The number six seed hit 25 winners and served 10 aces in the win. Meanwhile, Shapovalov hit 44 unforced errors in a match that he almost came back to win after losing the first two sets. It is the seventh time in Nadal’s career he has reached the last four at Melbourne Park and he is the fourth-oldest man to do so in the Open Era. Overall he is through to his 36th Grand Slam semi-final which is the third highest tally in history after Novak Djokovic (42) and Roger Federer (46).
“I am completely destroyed after that. It was a very tough day, very warm. Honestly, I wasn’t practicing for this, but I was a little bit lucky at the beginning of the fifth (set),” Nadal said during his on-court interview.
“I think at the beginning of the match I was playing great. I know how difficult it is to play against a player like Denis, he is very talented and aggressive. He was serving huge, especially with his second serve.’
“For me it is amazing to be in the semi-finals.”
The first three games of the match went with serve and it was the Mallorca native with the first three break points and he managed to break the 22-year-old serve for the early 3-1 lead. That one break of serve was all the Spaniard needed to serve out the first set and take a 1-0 set lead.
The second set was even tighter as it stayed on serve until 3-3 when again it was Nadal who earned another chance to break. He broke and again one break of serve was enough to serve out the set and take a 2-0 set lead.
The third set was a battle between both players and it stayed on serve until 5-4 when the Canadian had three set points on his opponent’s serve and managed to get the crucial break to take the set and send the match to a fourth set.
Riding the high of winning the fourth set Shapovalov got the break once again in the fourth set to take a 3-1 lead. After consolidating the break Nadal called the trainer for an upset stomach. The doctor gave the Spaniard a tablet to take but it wasn’t enough as the Canadian served out the fourth set to send the match into a deciding fifth set.
“I started to feel unwell with my stomach so I asked them (the medical team) if they could do something. We went inside (to the medical room) and they just checked that everything was alright with my body and I took some tablets to try to improve the stomach problem,” Nadal later explained.
After suffering that scare, the number six seed bounced back by breaking in the first game of the fifth set and that was the break needed for him to serve out the match and book his spot in the semi-finals.
The triumph comes in what is only Nadal’s second tournament since August. He was forced top pull the plug on his 2021 season early due to a foot injury. Then leading up to the Australian Open he suffered another setback after catching COVID-19 which delayed his travel to the country.
“The truth is that we didn’t know if I would be back on the Tour two months ago. Here I am and for me it is a present of life that I am playing tennis again,” he said.
The former world No.1 will now face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between the Italian Matteo Berrettini and the Frenchman Gael Monfils in the semis on Friday.
“I am not 21 anymore, so after this match, it is great to have two days off. I think I felt quite good physically in terms of movement,” Nadal replied when asked about his current form.
“It was a great test and I really believe I am going to be ready for the semi-finals. For me it means everything to be able to play more one time a semi-final match at the Rod Laver Arena.“
