Rafael Nadal [#6 ESP] – Daniil Medvedev [#2 RUS]
- This will be the fifth meeting between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev: the Russian won the last (at the ATP Finals in 2020), but the Spaniard won the first three (ATP Masters 1000 in Canada, US Open and ATP Finals in 2019).
- The first two meetings between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev have been in a final and both have been won by the Spaniard (ATP Masters 1000 in Canada 2019 and US Open 2019 – the first Grand Slam final reached by Medvedev).
- Rafael Nadal could win his 21st Grand Slam title becoming the player with the most Major titles of all-time in men’s tennis history.
- Rafael Nadal could become the second player in the Open Era to win 2+ titles in all the four Grand Slam tournaments after Novak Djokovic.
- Rafael Nadal has reached his 29th Grand Slam final: only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (both 31) have more in the Open Era.
- This will be the 29th Grand Slam final for Rafael Nadal: he only lost once against an opponent other than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (at the Australian Open 2014 versus Stan Wawrinka).
- Rafael Nadal has reached a Grand Slam final for the 15th different season (2005-2014, 2017-2020 and 2022): a joint-record in the Open Era, level with Roger Federer.
- Amongst players with 10+ Grand Slam finals played in the Open Era, only Pete Sampras (77.8%, 14/18) has a higher winning percentage in Major finals than Rafael Nadal (71.4%, 20/28).
- Rafael Nadal has reached his sixth final at the Australian Open, becoming the third player in the Open Era with 6+ finals in this tournament alongside Novak Djokovic (nine) and Roger Federer (seven) – overtaking Stefan Edberg and Andy Murray, both with five.
- Amongst players with three or more finals played at the Australian Open in the Open Era, only Andy Murray (five finals and 0 wins) has won fewest titles than Rafael Nadal (five finals and one trophy won).
- Rafael Nadal has won only one of the previous five finals played at the Australian Open (20% – in 2009 vs. Roger Federer): his lowest winning percentage in finals in a single Grand Slam tournament – he won 100% at the Roland Garros (13/13), 80% at the US Open (4/5) and 40% at Wimbledon (2/5).
- Rafael Nadal has lost all the last four finals played at the Australian Open, after he won the first (in 2009 against Federer) – in 2012 and 2019 vs. Djokovic, in 2014 vs. Wawrinka and in 2017 vs. Federer.
- Only Björn Borg (89.2%) has a higher winning percentage in Grand Slam matches than Rafael Nadal (87.9%) in the Open Era, among player with 100+ wins.
- Rafael Nadal would be 35 years, 7 months and 27 days old on the day of winning the Australian Open – only two players have ever won a Grand Slam title in the Open Era at an older age than Nadal, with Ken Rosewall doing so three times (37 years, 1 month and 24 days at his oldest, in the 1972 Australian Open) and Roger Federer twice (36 years, 5 months and 7 days at his oldest, in the 2018 Australian Open).
- Rafael Nadal has won 89 career ATP titles so far and could become only the fourth player with 90+ such titles in the Open Era after Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (103) and Ivan Lendl (94).
- Rafael Nadal could lose his 100th career match against a top-10 opponent (currently 99).
- Daniil Medvedev is the first Russian male player to reach back-to-back Grand Slam finals in the Open Era.
- Daniil Medvedev could become the third Russian player in male Tennis history to win 2+ Grand Slam titles, after Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Roland Garros 1996 and Australian Open 1999) and Marat Safin (US Open 2000 and Australian Open 2005).
- Daniil Medvedev could become the first player other than the Big Three (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) to secure back-to-back Majors titles since Andre Agassi (US Open 1999 and Australian Open 2000).
- Daniil Medvedev has lost the Australian Open 2021 final (against Novak Djokovic) and could become the first player to be defeated in back-to-back finals in this tournament since Andy Murray (2015 and 2016, both versus Novak Djokovic).
- If he wins the final, Daniil Medvedev will become the number 1 player in the ATP Ranking.
Ashleigh Barty [#1 AUS] – Danielle Collins [#27 USA]
- This will be the fifth meeting between Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins. Ashleigh Barty has won the first three clashes (Madrid 2019, Roland Garros 2019 and Adelaide 2020), but the American has won the last (Adelaide 2021).
- Danielle Collins has been one amongst the four players to win a match against Ashleigh Barty in 2021 on hard courts (in Adelaide) alongside Karolina Muchova (at the Australian Open), Sara Sorribes Tormo (at the Olympics) and Shelby Rogers (at the US Open).
- No player has won more matches (three) against Danielle Collins than Ashleigh Barty in the American’s professional career.
- Ashleigh Barty is the first Australian woman to reach the final at the Australian Open since Wendy Turnbull in 1980.
- Ashleigh Barty could become the first Australian player to win the Women’s Singles Australian Open since Chris O’Neil back in 1978.
- Ashleigh Barty could become the first woman to win a domestic Grand Slam title in her home country since Sloane Stephens in 2017 at the US Open.
- Ashleigh Barty has won both previous Grand Slam career finals played: at Wimbledon 2021 against Karolina Pliskova and at the Roland Garros 2019 against Marketa Vondrousova.
- Ashleigh Barty could become the first number 1 ranked player to win the Women’s Singles title at the Australian Open since Serena Williams back in 2015.
- The number 1 player has lost the last two finals played at the Australian Open: Simona Halep in 2018 against Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams in 2016 against Angelique Kerber.
- Ashleigh Barty has dropped 21 games to reach the final at the Australian Open 2022: the last player to reach the final in this tournament with fewest games dropped is Monica Seles back in 1993 (20) – she eventually won in the final against Steffi Graf.
- Ashleigh Barty has dropped 21 games to reach the final at the Australian Open 2022: in 2000s, only Serena Williams (16 at the US Open 2013 and 19 at Flushing Meadows 2012) and Venus Williams (20 at Wimbledon 2009) have lost fewest games to reach a Grand Slam final.
- Ashleigh Barty has won 10 matches in a row in 2022: her longest winning streak since July 2019 (15 matches in total – seven at the French Open, five in Birmingham and three at Wimbledon).
- Ashleigh Barty has lost only one game played on her service at the Australian Open 2022 (against Amanda Anisimova in the Fourth Round), saving 13 of the 14 break points she faced so far in the tournament.
- Ashleigh Barty has lost only one game on her service to reach the Australian Open 2022 final: in the last six seasons, since 2016, the player with the fewest service games dropped to reach a Grand Slam final was Serena Williams at the US Open 2019 (three breaks conceded).
- Ashleigh Barty could win her 15th career main circuit title (ITF excluded) and the third in a Major.
- Ashleigh Barty has won eight of the last nine finals played: the only exception in this run was in Madrid last season against Aryna Sabalenka.
- Danielle Collins will face the number 1 ranked player for the fourth time in her career after having won the last such meeting (in Adelaide 2021 against Ashleigh Barty) and lost the first two (vs. Barty in Adelaide 2020 and vs. Naomi Osaka at Indian Wells 2019).
- Danielle Collins is the seventh different American player to reach the Women’s Singles final at the Australian Open in 2000s, after Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin and Jennifer Brady: five more finalists than any other Country (Russia with Maria Sharapova and Dinara Safina, and Belgium with Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin).
- Danielle Collins has reached her first career Grand Slam final.
- Danielle Collins could win her 4th career main circuit title (ITF excluded) after having lifted the trophy in Newport Beach in 2018 (WTA 125), Palermo 2021 (WTA 250) and San Jose 2021 (WTA 500).
- Danielle Collins has won all the three main circuit finals (ITF excluded) disputed. The last career final she lost was back in November 2017 in Tyler Texas ITF 80K, against Kristie Ahn.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our mailing list to receive exclusive weekly content.