Australian Open: Daniil Medvedev vs. Rafael Nadal 1/30/22 Tennis Prediction

Second seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia will take on former champion and sixth seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the Final of the 2022 Australian Open. The Final will be played on Sunday January 30th, 2022 at 8:30am EST.

A blockbuster match is in store for the Final of the Australian Open, and it is the match that tennis fans wanted to see, especially after the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal, the 2009 champion here in Melbourne will attempt to break the all-time Grand Slam record by winning his 21st title. Daniil Medvedev is the reigning US Open champion, and he will be backing himself to spoil the party here, who will win?

Rafael Nadal is a former champion here, and is hoping that he has enough left in the tank to complete a famous victory here in Melbourne. Seeded a lowly #6, the Spaniard has rolled back the years and shown that he still has what it takes to win titles at these big events, and will have his eyes set on #21 here. After back to back tough wins over Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini to reach the Final, there will be some questions on if he has enough stamina left for his opponent Daniil Medvedev. However, that shouldn’t be an issue since he had two days off leading up to this. He is the slight underdog here, but it is never wise to count him out, given his experience and sheer willpower.

Daniil Medvedev is ranked #2 in the world and is also the second seed here at the Australian Open. The Russian superstar has proven over the past couple seasons that he is the best hard-court player in world tennis, evidenced by his dominant win at the 2020 US Open. He is now seeking to win his second consecutive Slam, and is the betting favorite here. Medvedev has not looked completely convincing so far, with a few shaky moments en route to the Final, most notably his come from behind win in the Quarter-Finals over FAA. He was back to his regular self against Stefanos Tsitsipas for the most part, and will be looking to his big serve and unique defensive qualities to secure the win over Rafael Nadal.

This match will be a classic, and both players have a legitimate case to win here. While Daniil Medvedev is the deserved favorite, it is hard to ignore a 20 time Grand Slam champion like Rafael Nadal. They both have had some battles to reach this stage and may not be 100% recovered, but the two day break will have benefitted them greatly. I am expecting a ferocious battle that will likely go down to the wire, and I am giving Medvedev the edge. His legs will be a bit fresher, and his huge serve may prove to be the difference here as it will gain him some needed free points. The best bet in this match is likely for both men to win a set, but if we had to pick a winner, the smart money is on the Russian.