Beat Matteo Berrettini, Rafael Nadal To Australian Open 2022 Final

Rafael Nadal (INSTAGRAM @rafaelnadal)

JAKARTA – Spain's Rafael Nadal only needs one more win to be named the most successful men's singles in the history of a tennis tournament at the grand slam level.

This is after the 35-year-old athlete advanced to the final of the 2022 Australian Open after winning over Italy's Matteo Berrettini. Nadal got a ticket for the final match after winning 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park on Friday, January 28.

"I started the game playing well. The first two sets have been one of the best so far for a long time," Nadal said.

If he manages to record victory in the final which will take place on Sunday, then Nadal will automatically pass Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. All three players currently hold the equivalent of 20 grand slam records.

Sunday's match will be Nadal's 29th grand slam final. If he manages to win it will be his second title at Melbourne Park.

This year's Australian Open title will make Nadal only the second person after Djokovic to win every grand slam title twice since tennis became a professional sport in 1968.

"I feel very lucky that I won once (at the Australian Open) in my career in 2009, but I never thought of another opportunity in 2022," said Nadal.

After becoming champion in 2009, Nadal has successfully reached four more finals after that, in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019. However, on four occasions he has always lost.

In 2012 he gave up when he met Novak Djokovic. After missing out on 2013, Nadal reached the final again in 2014, but he failed to win the title due to a four-set loss against Stan Wawrinka.

Nadal bagged the opportunity to win a second title at Melbourne Park in 2017. However, the opportunity was lost after he was bent by Roger Federer.

Nadal's chances again disappeared in 2019 after being stopped by Djokovic. Thus, this is Nadal's biggest chance after his fierce rival was sidelined because his visa was denied.

Nadal will face Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. The two players are still competing for tickets to the last round when this news was written.