Rafael Nadal beat Cameron Norrie in straight sets at the final of the Mexican Open to claim his third title of the year. The Spaniard entered Mexico still basking in the glory of winning the Australian Open to earn his 21st Grand Slam, becoming the first man to do so. Nadal has entered three tournaments this year and has won all to maintain an unbeaten record this season.

Nadal played all the matches at the tournament without dropping a set. Norrie was the first to drop his serve in the first set, although Nadal later went on to claim the win in that set. Nadal broke Norrie three times in the second set as the Brit failed to take the win in the round.

Speaking after the match, Nadal said that the successes he was recording today seemed impossible almost two months ago: “At the start of the year, this was unimaginable. A month and a half ago, nobody would have believed it.”

Nadal missed the second half of the 2021 season as he had to undergo foot surgery. At some point, it was thought that Nadal would never return to the court again. But be has since bounced back and has had an incredible run so far. His win on Saturday has now pushed him up to world number four.

This is the fourth time Nadal is winning the title, after first winning it in 2005 at age 19, becoming the youngest player to win it. By winning the title again this year, he is now the oldest player to win it.

In other news, Novak Djokovic has now moved down to world number two after losing to Jiri Vesley at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Daniil Medvedev would now rise to the number one position, being the first man outside Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, to reach that position in 18 years. Missing out of the Australian Open after being deported contributed to Djokovic’s fall, and he might lose further points as he has said he would rather skip events this year than get vaccinated.

Written by: Leon Osamor