"If someone had told me that Rafael Nadal would play 29 Grand Slam finals, I would have thought he was crazy" - Alex Corretja

In a recent interview with Radio Marca, Alex Corretja hailed Rafael Nadal for his incredible run at the Australian Open, stating that "special people" like the Spaniard should never be doubted. Corretja feels Nadal "takes tennis to another dimension," and expressed his desire to see the Spaniard lift his 21st Grand Slam title on Sunday.

Nadal booked his place in the final of the Melbourne Major by defeating World No. 7 Matteo Berrettini in four sets on Friday. The Spaniard is now one win away from taking sole ownership of the Grand Slam record.

Speaking about Nadal's phenomenal performance against Berrettini, Corretja stressed that the Spaniard's "dedication, honor, and poise" were on full display on Friday.

"Nadal takes tennis to another dimension. Everything he achieves is unheard of, I hope he wins his 21st Grand Slam title: today has been an exhibition of dedication, honor, and poise," said Corretja.

Corretja also highlighted that featuring in 29 Grand Slam finals is an "amazing" accomplishment for Nadal, something he would not have believed was possible when he just started out.

"If someone had told me that Rafa would play 29 Grand Slam finals, I would have thought he was crazy. It's amazing what he has achieved, you can never doubt special people," added the former World No. 2.

Rafael Nadal will take on Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open

Rafael Nadal with Daniil Medvedev at the US Open 2019 finals

Nadal will square off against World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday. The Russian is in his fourth Slam final and can seal the No. 1 ranking by beating the Spaniard.

Nadal enjoys a 3-1 advantage over Medvedev in the head-to-head, but the Russian won their most recent meeting at the ATP Finals in 2020.

While Nadal is unbeaten in 2022 season, Medvedev has lost only one of the last 13 matches that he has contested at the Happy Slam. Having denied Novak Djokovic his 21st Grand Slam title at the US Open last year, the World No. 2 will look to do the same to Nadal on Sunday.