"I think everyone will agree Rafael Nadal's No. 1 quality is resilience and love for the fight" - Patrick Mouratoglou

Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently listed the key factors behind Rafael Nadal's sensational comeback in the final of the 2022 Australian Open.

In a video on Instagram, Mouratoglou said that many fans watching the championship match would probably have written off Nadal when Daniil Medvedev led by two-sets-to-love. He then showered praise on the Spaniard for battling to a 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win for his 21st Grand Slam title.

He also added that tough matches like the Melbourne final often motivated the 35-year-old to strive harder for success.

"I think everybody saw him lose this match. He was dominated, he was extremely nervous, he was missing much more than usual," Mouratoglou said on Instagram. "I think everyone will agree his number one quality is resilience and love for the fight."

"He loves the fight, he loves it when it's tough, where most players don't like those moments, he loves them," Mouratoglou added. "That's where he feels alive and himself. And that made his career."

Mouratoglou then took a deep dive into Nadal's game after he dropped the first two sets during the summit clash. He opined that the Spaniard started employing short slices to bring Medvedev to the net, which put a lot of pressure on the Russian.

The Frenchman also asserted that Medvedev was beginning to doubt his own abilities as the match wore on and that was the "turning point" of the match.

"He started to use a lot of slices... to bring Medvedev to the net, where he won important points. The fact that he won points in situations when Medvedev was supposed to win... made him doubt a lot," Mouratoglou said. "That was the turning point, the key. To bring Medvedev in a situation where he was uncomfortable, to make him miss kind of easy shots."

"What surprised me a lot in that final is Rafael Nadal's physical shape" - Patrick Mouratoglou

Towards the end of the video, Mouratoglou expressed his amazement at Nadal's physical condition during the final. The Frenchman claimed that the 35-year-old was far less tired than Medvedev.

"What surprised me a lot in that final is Rafa's physical shape. What we've seen so far in the last 20 years from him. He looks really tired, and that's why I thought physicality will play a big role in the match," Mouratoglou said.

"I feel Rafa knew it before the match, if he knew he was short physically, he would've been much more aggressive," he added. "He really accepted the rallies. In the end, Daniil was tired and Rafa was not."

Mouratoglou also praised the 21-time Major winner's tactics, insisting that his variety made his Russian opponent uncomfortable from the baseline.

"He played a lot of serves and right after drop shot because Medvedev is so far back in return, Mouratoglou said. "He made Daniil doubt a lot when he was close to the net. If you look at the last three sets, he is hesitating big time. At a certain point, Daniil was struggling to hit winners."

Nadal will next feature at the ATP tournament in Acapulco later this month.