Daniil Medvedev was 'amazed' by Rafael Nadal's resilience in his incredible Australian Open final comeback

• Rafael Nadal bested Daniil Medvedev to win his 21st Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian Open.
• The 35-year-old Spaniard came back from two sets down to win the five-plus hour match in five sets.

Daniil Medvedev was on the receiving end of Rafael Nadal's stunning comeback to win the 2022 Australian Open.

And even he — the outspoken Russian who is as fierce a competitor as any on tour — couldn't help but be "amazed."

The 35-year-old Spaniard fought back from two sets down to beat Medvedev in a grueling, five-plus hour final through the hazy heat of Melbourne summer. The victory over the reigning US Open champion gave Nadal the 21st Grand Slam title of his illustrious career.

No other men's player in the history of the sport has won as many championships across the four major tournaments — and he achieved the feat in quite dramatic fashion.

After the match, Medvedev expressed awe and disbelief at Nadal's resilience and seemingly inexhaustible energy.

"I want to congratulate Rafa, because what he did today, I was amazed," Medvedev said while accepting his second-place trophy. "During the match, I tried just to play tennis, but after the match, I just asked him like 'Are you tired?!' because it was insane."

"I thought you were gonna get tired, and maybe you did just a little, but still won the match," he added, evoking laughter from the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. "You're an amazing champion ... It was unbelieveable."

Nadal professed his admiration for Medvedev's game, too.

"I don't have any doubts that you'll have this trophy a couple of time in your career because you are amazing," Rafa told the 25-year-old. "It has been one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career, and to share the court with you is just an honor."

"All the best in the future," he added.

With the next Grand Slam — the French Open — scheduled for late spring, the two finalists may cross paths again in just a matter of months. Medvedev earned his best-ever result at Roland Garros last year, having advanced to the quarterfinals where he lost to eventual finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal, meanwhile, is at his absolute best on clay. He's won a record 13 French Open titles — more than any man or woman has collected at any of tennis' four major tournaments — and he'll surely look to extend his dominance at Roland Garros even further come May.