Rafael Nadal's quest for a second Australian Open Title

When Rafael Nadal first got his hands on the Australian Open men’s singles title in 2009, few would have believed that 12 years later he would still be seeking his second success at the Melbourne Grand Slam. After all, the nature of Nadal’s ability and achievements at that time was such that it looked like he could dominate the Grand Slam landscape for the next decade.

Of course, it hasn’t exactly panned out that way. While Nadal has continued to master the French Open, now holding 13 Roland Garros titles, his success in other Grand Slams over the last ten years or so has been somewhat limited. Of course, it’s never easy when you’re up against the continued excellence of Roger Federer and the modern dominance of Novak Djokovic, and while injuries have hampered Nadal at different stages in his career, he’ll be slightly disappointed that he hasn’t won more Grand Slam titles outside of the French Open.

The upcoming Australian Open gives Nadal the chance to continue the good form he showed in the last Grand Slam, as he beat Novak Djokovic in the final to win the French Open yet again. The Spaniard is currently second in the Australian Open odds in terms of who might win the competition, with Djokovic leading the way as would be expected. Circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have meant that the tournament will now begin on February 8^th instead of the usual January start date, and you can bet that Nadal will be raring to go.

Ahead of the French Open at the end of September, some questioned whether Nadal would have it in him to claim a fourth successive title in Paris, and a 13^th in total. He had hardly played since the sport was suspended last March as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, and it was suggested he may be rusty going straight into the cauldron that is a tennis Grand Slam.

But those doubts were quickly allayed, as Nadal swept aside the competition to win the tournament with his usual flair and dominance. The Spaniard didn’t drop a single set en route to the title, cementing his place as the greatest clay player of the modern era.

Nadal’s form away from the clay courts has been a different story. He lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in November and has failed to ever go on as dominant a run on hard/grass courts as he has on clay. This year’s tournament gives him a chance to prove that he still has what it takes to win consistently across all four Grand Slam tournaments.

He’ll have Djokovic to contend with, of course, with the Serb having won the Australian Open on eight prior occasions, including each of the last two editions. As well as that there is the threat of Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev, while Roger Federer will miss out once again as he continues to recover from injury.

If Nadal can find his form, he should have no trouble reaching the latter stages of the tournament, and from there he’ll need to find an inner spark to wrestle the title out of Djokovic’s hands. Given the Spaniard’s immense pedigree, you wouldn’t put it past him to finally claim that elusive second Australian Open title next month.

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