Coming back from injury yet again, Rafael Nadal defied the odds, his age, and human limitations to win his record 21st Grand Slam title on Sunday. The 35-year-old Spaniard had to overcome a two-set deficit to beat Daniil Medvedev 2:6 6:7 6:4 6:4 7:5 in another grueling five-setter.

It was long past midnight, when Nadal converted his first match point after 5 hours and 24 minutes of intense play, making yesterday’s final the second longest in Grand Slam history. Of course, Nadal was also involved in the longest one, which saw him lose to Novak Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final after five hours and 53 minutes.

Coming off an injury-ridden 2021 season that had ended without a Grand Slam title for Nadal for only the third time since his first major in 2005, the Majorcan had entered the Australian Open as a dark horse at best. Following the Djokovic saga, which eventually saw the world number 1 deported and denied the chance to defend his title in Melbourne, much of the attention had been focused on the next generation of players, with runner-up Daniil Medvedev the odds-on favorite to win his second consecutive Grand Slam title.

And despite facing three break points at 2:6 6:7 2:3 0:40, Nadal managed to overcome the odds, winning his 21st Grand Slam in signature fashion. The following chart recounts Rafa’s road to 21 major titles, 16 years after lifting his first French Open trophy in the summer of 2005 as a 19-year-old up-and-comer.

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