Nadal spoke highly of Berrettini, among the players like Tsitsipas and Shapovalov who could replace the Big Three who have dominated the sport for nearly 20 years. the only thing that says is that we share an amazing part of the history of our sport, and for me it's a real honor to be part of it.' 'For me, the fact that we are equal at 20. 'I don't believe that my happiness, my future happiness is going to depend on if I achieve one more Grand Slam than the others, or if the others achieve more Grand Slams than me,' Nadal said. Medvedev won last year's semifinal, then lost to Djokovic in the final.Īfter Nadal's tough five-set win over Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday, he looked to take away some of the pressure of that 21st major. In the other semifinal, Daniil Medvedev plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in a rematch of their 2021 Australian Open semifinal. He's tied for the record of 20 with Roger Federer, who is recovering from right knee surgery, and Novak Djokovic, who was deported from Australia on the eve of the tournament following an 11-day visa saga over his decision not to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Break.Nadal plays Matteo Berrettini in one semifinal on Friday at Melbourne Park, knowing he's potentially two match wins from a 21st major title. But Draper nets the next and double faults again. At deuce the two go toe-to-toe at the net with five volleys in six seconds before Nadal pulls one wide. He’s lost 8% power from his major weapon but he’s finding one percenters wherever he can. The game claws to a second deuce before Draper double-faults. Errors are mounting on both sides of the court as each great shot is undone by a mishit. Neither player looks 100% physically and it’s down to an arm wrestle. Both players are groaning with the exertion of their groundstrokes now. When Draper clangs another misfired smash into the grandstand the Briton’s head drops and he signals for the trainer to warmup. Key game here and after one rally apiece, Nadal uncorks a sublime drop shot to get 30-15 ahead.

Nadal isn’t yet back to his fist-pumping pomp but there’s a steely look in his eye that will Draper and his camp worried. Nadal 7-5, 2-6, 3-1 Draper *(* denotes server) Jack Draper appears to be cramping from the waist down and the neck up.

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