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Rafael Nadal's heartwarming congratulatory message for Jannik Sinner following his triumph at the 2024 Australian Open has drawn delighted reactions from tennis fans.
Sinner clinched his maiden Grand Slam title in dramatic fashion, battling back from two sets down to claim a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev after a three-hour and 44-minute thriller. The 22-year-old's triumph was reminiscent of Rafael Nadal's similar win over Medvedev in the 2022 final in Melbourne, with the Spaniard also overcoming a two-set deficit to secure the title.
The tennis community rushed to congratulate Jannik Sinner on his victory, with Nadal also extending his best wishes to the Italian. The 22-time Grand Slam champion lavished praise on the World No. 4, commending him for making his team, family, and country proud.
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"Wow!!!! CONGRATULATIONS Jan. Spectacular tournament, what a great win for you, your team, your family, and your country, Italia," he posted on his Instagram story (Translated from Italian).
Tennis fans were elated at the Spaniard's gracious message for Sinner, with one fan hailing him for always being "classy."
"Rafa is, as always, too classy," the fan posted.
Meanwhile, other fans jokingly suggested that Nadal's message was not merely about congratulating Sinner on his triumph but also about celebrating his win over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals as he thwarted the Serb's quest for his 25th Grand Slam title.
"Translation - "See I told you. Just let Medvedev go up 2-0 and it's all easy from there. Also good job kicking Novak's a**," a fan commented.
"He wanted to post it once he defeated Djoker but held out for so long," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
"I don't think about Rafael Nadal match" - Daniil Medvedev after similar loss to Jannik Sinner in Australian Open 2024 final
Despite his loss to Jannik Sinner mirroring his heartbreaking defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Australian Open final, Daniil Medvedev asserted that he did not dwell on those memories during his clash against the Italian.
"Yeah, I didn't think much about Rafa match, because I really tried to leave it behind, so I don't think it had any issues," he said in his post-match press conference.
The Russian also insisted that he hadn't made any egregious errors during the final, suggesting that he was simply outplayed after Sinner rose his level and changed his tactics during the match.
"Otherwise there would be many, many matches during the season where I would lose. And today, again, I didn't feel like suddenly when I was two sets to love up I stopped playing and let's say went behind the baseline and started doing like lobs. I didn't really do bad mistakes," he said.
"I think what happened is he started to play better, a little bit different tactically, because I propose him something different in the beginning of the match, which was very aggressive," he added.
Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from the 2024 Australian Open after suffering a micro tear in his hip region during his Brisbane International campaign. He will be back in action at the ATP 250 Qatar Open in February.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
