Novak Djokovic praises ‘fighting spirit’ of Rafa Nadal after record-breaking Australian Open victory

The Spaniard moved clear of his Serbian rival - and Roger Federer - with the triumph in Melbourne

(AFP via Getty Images)

Rafa Nadal has been praised for his “fighting spirit” shown in a comeback win in the Australian Open final by the man who dominated so many headlines before the tournament started - Novak Djokovic.

The world No1 endured two weeks of on-again-off-again training and preparations for the competition, having his visa application rejected and going through appeals and hotel confinement before he was ultimately deported from Australia.

That took much of the pre-Open focus off any other competitor who stood a chance of success and left the door wide open for the trophy, which Nadal claimed on Sunday after a five-set epic against Daniil Medvedev. And after he came back from two sets down to claim a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title, leaving Djokovic and Roger Federer one behind in the all-time list, Djokovic was quick to take to Twitter to praise the four finalists, including Nadal’s career-long triumph.

He tweeted: “Congratulations to [Nadal] for 21st GS. Amazing achievement. Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time. Enhorabuena.[Medvedev] gave it his all out there and played with the passion and determination we have come to expect from him.

“There has been some outstanding tennis played at this year’s #AusOpen and the finals were exceptional. Congratulations to [women’s singles champion] Ash Barty for an amazing performance in front of her home crowd and to Danielle Collins for an incredible tournament.”

Roger Federer hailed his great rival as an “inspiration” and offered heartfelt congratulations in a post on his Instagram story.

“What a match. To my friend and great rival Rafael Nadal, heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 grand slam singles titles,” Federer said.

“A few months ago we were joking about both being on crutches. Amazing. Never underestimate a great champion. Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world.

“I am proud to share this era with you and honoured to play a role in pushing you to achieve more, as you have done for me for the past 18 years. I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now enjoy this one!”