"I was inspired by the fact that Rafael Nadal continues to play some fantastic tennis at the age of 35" - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova recently stated that Rafael Nadal's triumph in the final of the 2022 Australian Open was a source of inspiration for her. The Russian particularly highlighted the fact that Nadal is able to play "fantastic" tennis even at the age of 35, before asserting that she considers the Spaniard a role model.

Nadal returned from a five-month injury hiatus to win the title at Melbourne Park, defeating Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a five hour and 24 minute battle. The 35-year-old's second Australian Open crown also marked his 21st Grand Slam title, making him the first man in tennis to reach that number.

Speaking at a press conference before the 2022 St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Pavlyuchenkova revealed that she caught the last three sets of the final in Melbourne. Those sets, incidentally, saw Nadal's best tennis of the night; the Spaniard picked up the pace only towards the end of the second set, after a lackluster start.

"I watched [the 2022 Australian Open] final match," Pavlyuchenkova said. "Unfortunately, I missed a set and a half at the beginning, but I managed to watch the most interesting part. To be honest, I was inspired by the fact that Rafael Nadal, at the age of 35, still continues to play some fantastic tennis."

The World No. 14 further stated she regards Nadal as a role model because of his grit and determination. Pavlyuchenkova was particularly impressed with the 35-year-old's forehand, falling short of words to describe the emotions it stirred in her.

"[Because of] his fighting qualities and character, I consider him a role model," the Russian said. "The following day I went to training all pumped up and full of energy. For me, it was an inspiration in every sense. And that amazing forehand of his..."

At the same time, Pavlyuchenkova didn't fail to express sympathy for her countryman Medvedev. The 30-year-old disclosed that she was actually rooting for Medvedev during the match, and that she considers him a good friend.

Pavlyuchenkova further opined that the World No. 2 is capable of coming back from the loss since he is still young. She revealed that she texted Medvedev later to remind him not to get disheartened, as the future had more interesting things in store for him.

"I was rooting for Daniil Medvedev, of course," Pavlyuchenkova said. "Because we became friends with our guys in the ATP, we began to communicate more. I feel sorry for Daniil, but he’s still young. I even texted him, 'You’re still young.' He began laughing and said: 'So what?!' I said, 'Well, you still have everything ahead of you.' It was a fantastic final nonetheless."

Rafael Nadal is expected to play next at the Acapulco Open

The 2022 Acapulco Open is the next stop on Rafael Nadal's 2022 tennis calendar

Rafael Nadal's next stop is expected to be at the Acapulco Open (February 20-26), followed by the Indian Wells Masters (March 10-20). The Spaniard stated during a press conference earlier this week that as long as he remains fit, he will play both these tournaments before moving on to the clay season.

With 2250 ranking points to his name already (2,000 points from the Melbourne Major and 250 points from the Melbourne Summer Set) in 2022, the 21-time Grand Slam champion has all but secured a place at the year-end ATP Tour Finals. According to the rules, a current-year Grand Slam winner will be prioritized for the tournament even if he finishes the Race to Turin between No. 8 to 20.