Will the No. 21 be achieved today? Legendary Rafael Nadal will look to complete a remarkable comeback to competitive tennis action when he takes on Danill Medvedev in the Australian Open 2022 final as he bids to win his 21st Grand Slam title.

The Big 3 of men’s tennis, Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, are tied on 20 Grans Slams each and the Spaniard will look to become the first man in tennis history to go one step further. Nadal has played only 5 matches since the Roland Garros last year as a foot injury derailed his season. The former World No. 1 was quite unsure of whether he would ever be able to return to competitive action after a surgery but Nadal has surprised himself and the rest of the tennis fraternity with a glorious run to the Australian Open final.

After winning an ATP 250 event in Melbourne, Nadal had headed into the season’s first Grand Slam with minimum expectations but the Spaniard has been in terrific form, outclassing the likes of Matteo Berrettini and Denis Shapovalov en route to the final Sunday.

Nadal has won the Australian Open only once and has lost the finals 4 times in Melbourne in the past. However, with history up for grabs, the 35-year-old will be willing to give his all when he faces up against Medvedev.

Nadal has time and again reiterated that he is not playing anymore for milestones but that being back on court is in itself a present.

“I just feel happy to be part of this amazing era of tennis, sharing all these things with another two players. That’s it,” Nadal said.

18 years after his #AusOpen debut, @rafaelnadal continues to inspire with another magical run Down Under.@Kia_Worldwide #Kia #MovementThatInspires pic.twitter.com/PxSNUdzIYI

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022

“In some ways, it doesn’t matter if somebody achieves one more or one less. We did amazing things and things that will be very difficult to equal. I don’t think much about all this stuff.”

It’s difficult to get past Nadal when he is in full flight and looking dangerous but he faces Medvedev, who is known for his unlimited repository of grit. In the quarter-final against Canada’s Felix Auger-Alisiamme, Medvedev was down 2 sets but he found the will to make a comeback and win the match in 5 sets.

He came back in two days’ time to make light work of a challenge from Stefanos Tsitsipas and book a place in his 2nd successive final at the Australian Open.

CAN MEDVEDEV PLAY PARTY-POOPER AGAIN?

Facing a man who is chasing history is not new for Medvedev as he had gone up against Djokovic, who was going for his No. 21, at the US Open last year. The Russian blew away the World No. 1, beating him in straight sets and ending his bid to win a Calendar Slam and the 21st Grand Slam title.

Medvedev, who relies on his impeccable defense, will be hoping to push Nadal to the limits on Sunday. He has faced the Spaniard 4 times in the past and has lost 3 of their encounters while winning their latest meeting on hard court in 2020.

It seems Medvedev is enjoying the party-pooper role.

“It’s not me going for the 21st, not me trying to break these records. I’m going for my second one. Of course, I know what’s happening, I know what Rafa is going for, I knew what Novak was going for,” Medvedev said.

“I’m not gonna say, ‘Oh, yeah, I am trying not to listen about this. But it’s kind of their thing, not mine. I’m just there to try to win the final.”

It’s not just Nadal but Medvedev is also chasing history. The Russian is bidding to become the first man in the Open Era to earn his second major crown at the next Slam following his first.