It was a nervy performance from Ashleigh Barty, but she proved her resiliency in playing the big points as well as she did in winning the Australian Open on Saturday.
Not many will be lining up to oppose her at the next three Grand Slam tournaments either, although I think she will go into those events plenty short in the market. The restrictions in Australian could see Ashleigh Barty not compete on the Tour as frequently as would usually be the case, but I am hoping she takes to the court in the Middle East next month and is able to prepare for the big events coming through the first half of the season.
Now the last day at the Australian Open features the Men's Final and it could be a good one. I think Daniil Medvedev can get it done, but ruling out Rafael Nadal is never easy.
Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 sets v Rafael Nadal: If things were different, you may have expected a repeat of the Australian Open Final of 2021, but it was not to be for Novak Djokovic who didn't take part in the tournament. Instead, another former 20 time Grand Slam Champion will be looking to take the lead in the Men's game by moving onto 21 titles when Rafael Nadal takes to the court.
He has not won the Australian Open since 2009, but Rafael Nadal has managed to battle his way through the draw, although he may be the first to admit that the challenger in front of him is the toughest he would have played at Melbourne Park.
There is plenty on the line for Daniil Medvedev on Sunday as he bids to win back to back Grand Slam titles, beat another of the Big Three to win a Slam and also become the new World Number 1. All of that will put some pressure on the Russian player, but I do think his performances have generally been stronger than Rafael Nadal's and I also think Daniil Medvedev would have learned plenty from the defeat to the Spaniard in the Final of the US Open in 2019.
He is a much improved player now and I do think Daniil Medvedev is going to cause Rafael Nadal a lot more problems than Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini managed to do in the last two Rounds. Both of those players have obvious weaknesses that can be exploited, but they still managed to push Rafael Nadal at his worst Grand Slam and I think Daniil Medvedev doesn't have any obvious weaknesses on the court.
Daniil Medvedev is not returning as well as he would like, and that is a potential problem for him in the Final. He is breaking at less than 20% in the return games being played, and that is someway behind Rafael Nadal who is at 27% in this tournament, while both players have been serving well. However, I do think Daniil Medvedev has room for improvement and he has played Rafael Nadal better in each passing meeting with the Spaniard.
That culminated in Daniil Medvedev beating Rafael Nadal for the first time when they last met on a hard court in the ATP Finals in 2020 and ending a three match losing run to this opponent. The numbers do favour Rafael Nadal overall, but Daniil Medvedev has been getting better and better at competing with this opponent and I think that shows up at Melbourne Park on Sunday, even though it has not been the best tournament he has played overall.
In the last couple of Rounds Rafael Nadal has struggled for his form at times and I think those dips will be punished by someone as good as Daniil Medvedev can be.
This should be a fun Final and there should be some strong tennis that will be played, but I think Daniil Medvedev is going to prove himself rightfully taking over as the World Number 1 by winning a second Grand Slam in three or four sets against a multiple time Champion.
MY PICK: Daniil Medvedev - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Australian Open Update: 41-32, + 7.64 Units (146 Units Staked, + 5.23% Yield)
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