- Sixth seed wins 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 at Melbourne Park
- Nadal holds nerve after Canadian recovers from two sets down
As Rafael Nadal initiated another run at the Australian Open this year, he was as curious about how well his game and body would serve him as anyone else. He had endured a six-month layoff due to a chronic foot injury, a tough bout with Covid at precisely the wrong time and he arrived in Melbourne having barely spent time on-court in the preceding few weeks. The hope, he said, was that he would keep himself in the tournament long enough to progress.
On Tuesday afternoon he maintained his spot in the tournament but only by the narrowest of margins and it took all that he had. After leading Denis Shapovalov by two sets, the Canadian pulled Nadal all the way back into a desperate fifth set. After four long hours, Nadal rose to win 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 to reach his seventh semi-final at the Australian Open.