History will be made one way or the other Sunday when Rafael Nadal faces Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open men's singles final in Melbourne. If the sixth-seeded Nadal can pull off the victory, he will set the all-time men's singles record with 21 Grand Slam titles. He is tied with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with 20. If the No. 2-seeded Russian gets past the Spanish legend, he will be the first man to win a Grand Slam title immediately following his first. The 25-year-old world No. 2 Medvedev won the U.S. Open in September. The 35-year-old fifth-ranked Nadal's last Grand Slam title was the 2020 French Open, and he has won the Australian Open just once (2009). Nadal is 3-1 in head-to-head meetings, with Medvedev winning the most recent matchup in 2020 in London.
First serve in Melbourne is set for 3:30 a.m. ET. Medvedev is the -187 favorite (risk $187 to win $100) in Caesars Sportsbook's latest Nadal vs. Medvedev odds, and Nadal is a +160 underdog (risk $100 to win $160). Caesars has numerous other Medvedev vs. Nadal prop bets, including an over-under on total games at 39.5, correct scores that can pay off big and whether both players will win a set (Yes -175, No +135). Before locking in any Nadal vs. Medvedev picks or props, you need to see the 2022 Australian Open predictions and betting advice from internationally acclaimed tennis expert Sean Calvert.
Calvert is the elite tennis handicapper who called Stan Wawrinka winning the 2014 Australian Open at 60-1 – the last Australian title won by someone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer. In 2019, Calvert took down a huge score on Dominic Thiem winning Indian Wells at 80-1, among many stunning calls.
And in 2021, he nailed both of his bets for the Wimbledon men's singles final: Djokovic to beat Berrettini three sets to one (+275) and Djokovic to win and both players to win a set (+130). Anyone following his picks is way up.
Now, Calvert has scrutinized the latest Australian Open 2022 odds and released his coveted best bets for the Nadal vs. Medvedev final. He's only sharing his Australian Open final picks and expert tennis analysis at SportsLine.
Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev preview
The two most recent meetings were battles at the ATP Finals, with both losing after blowing chances to serve for the win. Nadal missed much of last season with a foot injury, but he has come back strong. He won the warm-up tournament at Adelaide earlier this month, beating Maxime Cressy in the final, and he had an easier road to get here. Medvedev was tested by Cressy and Nick Kyrgios and was two sets down to Felix Auger Aliassime in his quarterfinal.
The 35-year-old Nadal lost just one set before the quarterfinal, and he has played 196 games in Melbourne, compared to 242 for the Russian. Nadal beat Medvedev to win the 2019 U.S. Open title and he has far more experience under this pressure. Nadal is not known for his hard-court prowess, but he is 27-5 on the surface the past three seasons. Medvedev is known for his deep return position, but Nadal's varied offense has helped him exploit that in previous meetings.
Medvedev, however, is moving toward taking over the top ranking from Djokovic, and he has become arguably the best hard-court player in the world. He is 42-6 on the surface the past two seasons, and he comes in with the confidence brought by his U.S. Open title. He denied Djokovic's bid to break the Grand Slam record at that event and he is intent on doing the same to the Spaniard. He is 10 years younger than Nadal, and with long rallies expected, he should have an edge.
He also has been tested far more in this tournament, while Nadal hasn't played a lot of tennis recently. The 35-year-old played just eight matches between last year's French Open and this event. Medvedev has a big serve and has 94 aces here, third-most in the tournament. He also is a cerebral player who will make Nadal move around a lot. The Spaniard doesn't have the court coverage he once did, and Medvedev's backhand is strong enough to withstand Nadal's barrages.
How to make Nadal vs. Medvedev picks
Calvert has analyzed Medvedev vs. Nadal from all angles. He's leaning over on the game total, and he also has advice on other picks, including one props that returns 5-1. You can only see his Australian Open picks and betting analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Nadal vs. Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open men's final? And what pick could lead to a big return? Visit SportsLine now to see Sean Calvert's best bets for Medvedev vs. Nadal, all from the renowned tennis expert who called Wawrinka winning this event at 60-1, and find out.
