What Rod Laver said to Rafael Nadal after he won his first ever Australian Open title in 2009
What Rod Laver said to Rafael Nadal after he won his first ever Australian Open title in 2009
George Patten
George Patten
Fri 3 January 2025 19:00, UK
Rafael Nadal was one of tennis’ greatest ever players, reaching number one in the world, and winning over 20 Grand Slam titles.
Few players carved themselves a greater legacy in tennis than Nadal, who won 22 Major titles during his career.
The Spaniard held the ATP number one ranking for a mightily impressive 209 weeks, as he dominated the sport for several years.
Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with his trophy after being announced as ATP Tour end of year world number one following his singles match against Stef…
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Nadal retired from tennis earlier this year, having struggled with injuries during the past few seasons.
The 38-year-old won many tournaments throughout his career, and competed in his fair share of legendary matches, but few were better than his title in Australia 16 years ago.
Rod Laver told Rafael Nadal that no fans left the stadium after he won the Australian Open in 2009
Speaking after his maiden Australian Open win in 2009, Nadal revealed what legendary Aussie tennis star Rod Laver told him during the trophy presentations.
“Well, he told me the first four sets was amazing rhythm,” he said.
“He just congratulated me.
Rod Laver and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe shake hands on centre court during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in Lond…
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup
“He told me [it] was a very good fight, especially after the semi-finals, was a very tough confrontation, and well, he congratulated me.
“He said, well, 15,000 people are here, and nobody left ten minutes after the final.
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“I asked him how many people was on court when he played here.”
Nadal went on to say what his uncle, Toni Nadal always used to tell him about Laver.
Rafael Nadal of Spain (L) and Toni Nadal (R) speak during a training session prior to the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals at O2 Arena on November 10, 2…
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
“My uncle always told me Rod Laver was the best because he won two times the Grand Slam,” he said.
“The whole Grand Slam, the four in a row, and for like six or seven years he didn’t play, so for that reason he can be [the best].”
Laver won all four Grand Slams in 1969 and remains the only man to have done so in tennis’ Open Era.
What happened in the 2009 Australian Open final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer?
Roger Federer entered the 2009 Australian Open final as a three-time champion down under, and perhaps a slight favorite against Nadal.
The Spaniard was in fine form himself, however, winning two Grand Slams the year prior, and looking to take home a maiden title in Australia.
A battle between the top two seeds was highly anticipated, and it didn’t disappoint, as Nadal and Federer played a classic match in front of the adoring Melbourne crowd.
Nadal took the first set as his Swiss rival struggled with his serve, double-faulting at the most crucial of moments.
Federer continued to struggle with his serve in the second but began engaging in some highly aggressive baseline rallies, which saw him level up the match, despite having a first serve percentage below 40%.
The third set was an absolute nailbiter, with nothing separating the players as they headed to a tie-breaker.
Again, Federer’s serve deserted him, as he double-faulted down set point, gifting Nadal a 2-1 lead, and putting the Spaniard within touching distance of a first hard-court Slam title.
He would have to wait a little bit longer, however, as Federer took things up a gear in the fourth, battling hard to keep his Australian Open dreams alive, clinching the set 6-3.
Federer’s resistance finally broke in the fifth, as he looked exhausted, and Nadal continued to pile on the pressure eventually winning the Australian Open title, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal of Spain consoles Roger Federer of Switzerland during the trophy presentation after his men’s final match during day fourteen of the 2…
Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images
Finishing just after midnight, the pair were overcome by emotion, having played in another Grand Slam classic.
It was Nadal’s first title on Rod Laver Arena, and his last for 13 years, before he finally doubled his tally against Daniil Medvedev in 2022.
A legendary win for Nadal, against a legendary opponent, which soon saw him congratulated by perhaps Australia’s greatest-ever legend, Laver.
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Attila Balazs of Hungary plays a forehand during his Men’s Singles second round match against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain on day five of the 202…Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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He holds an ATP record ahead of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz but only ever won one Grand Slam match
George Patten
George Patten
Fri 3 January 2025 21:00, UK
Novak Djokovic holds several tennis records that many fans believe will never be broken.
There aren’t too many records that Djokovic doesn’t lay claim to, having dominated the sport for many years.
Two of tennis’ youngest stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are tipped to break records, but even the most optimistic of fans recognize that it’ll be a tough ask.
Jannik Sinner of Italy (left) and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain pose for a photo together ahead of their Men’s Singles Final match on day three of the Si…
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Djokovic holds several records that the likes of Alcaraz will have to work hard to chase down in the coming years.
Most Grand Slam men’s singles titles – 24
Most weeks at ATP number one – 428
Most Australian Open titles – 10
Most Masters 1000 titles – 40
Most ATP Finals titles – 7
The list doesn’t end there for the Serbian superstar, but there is one record where he falls behind to a player many tennis fans may never have heard of.
Attila Balazs: The man with the highest deciding set win % in tennis history who only won one Grand Slam match
Ahead of Djokovic, Alcaraz, Nadal, and every other player to have graced the ATP Tour, Attila Balazs holds one tennis record that may never be topped.
Winning 76.9% of his deciding sets in the sport, the Hungarian leads the pack by almost two percent, as he proved himself to be a ‘clutch’ player throughout his career.
Rank Name Deciding set win %
1 Attila Balazs 76.9
2 Lars Rehmann 75.0
3 Kei Nishikori 73.0
4 Novak Djokovic 72.8
5 German Puentes 70.0
6 Pete Sampras 69.3
7 Carlos Alcaraz 69.1
8 Rafael Nadal 68.5
9 Nuno Borges 68.2
10 Martin Jaite 67.9
ATP top ten deciding set win % of all time
If you were on the opposite side of the net to Balazs, and the match ticked over to a third set, you knew you were in big trouble.
Despite his incredible record, Balazs won just one match at Grand Slam level during his career, as he advanced to the second round of the French Open back in 2020.
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Playing in his first main draw match at a Major, the now 36-year-old faced off against Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama.
Hungary’s Attila Balazs returns the ball to Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama during their men’s singles first round tennis match on Day 3 of The Roland Ga…
Photo by MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images
He didn’t get to show off his deciding set prowess on this occasion, but secured the win in three sets nonetheless as he booked his place in the next round with a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Next up was a tough test against perennial contender Roberto Bautista Agut, and this time Balazs wasn’t quite as successful as he lost, taking home just a handful of games.
The Hungarian never won another Grand Slam match, as he lost in the first round of his next five Major appearances.
Balazs ironically never made it to a deciding set at Grand Slam level, only making it to the fourth set once, when he lost to Roberto Carballes Baena in Australia one year later.
Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain plays a backhand in their round one singles match against Hugo Gaston of France during the 2024 Australian Open at…
Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
He may not have enjoyed the most success at the biggest tournaments, but that’s not to say that Balazs didn’t have his moments on the ATP Tour.
In 2012, the former world number 76 reached the semi-finals in Bucharest as a qualifier, before losing to 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters champion Fabio Fognini.
He then suffered a dull spell in his career, playing just a handful of matches between 2013 and 2016, before he found his best form during his latter years.
Always a fighter on the court, Balazs produced a memorable moment in the second round of his home Hungarian Open back in 2019, when he won an excellent point against John Millman.
As was so often the case, Balazs went on to take the third and deciding set against Millman, to advance to the Hungarian Open quarter finals.
The Hungarian reached just one ATP final during his career, at the 2019 Croatian Open, where he fell to Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.
It was the closest he came to silverware on the ATP Tour, and Balazs will no doubt have hoped to take Lajovic to a decider, knowing that with his record, victory would then have become somewhat of a formality.
Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic (R) poses nest to Hungary’s Attila Balazs (L) and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic (C) after winning the Umag 201…
Photo credit should read DENIS LOVROVIC/AFP via Getty Images
Balazs retired from tennis in 2024 having reached a career-high of 76th in the world, winning just the one Grand Slam main draw match.
His record, however, remains in tact, and no-one can take that away from him, at least for now…
Kei Nishikori improves his deciding set record with Cameron Norrie win in Hong Kong
One man that does stand half a chance of breaking Balazs record is Kei Nishikori, who may be one of the biggest fighters the sport has ever seen.
Having struggled with injury for several years, the Japanese star underwent hip surgery in 2022, before making his return on the Challenger Tour a year later.
Kei Nishikori of Japan looks on in between serves against Taylor Fritz during the ATP Atlanta Open quarter finals at Atlantic Station on July 28, 2…
Photo by Adam Hagy/Getty Images
Since then the former US Open finalist has been building confidence back up, and is currently enjoying one of his greatest weeks since his injury comeback in Hong Kong.
Having beaten Karen Khachanov in a deciding set in the last 16, Nishikori beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to book his place in the last four.
His wins this week were his 152nd and 153rd in deciding sets, as he extended his advantage over Djokovic in the list of deciding set win %, rising to 73%.
Only time will tell if Nishikori can extend his winning record in deciding sets to leapfrog Balazs, but he’ll no doubt be hoping to get another win under his belt in the Hong Kong Open semi-finals against Juncheng Shang on January 4.
Related Topics
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