Rafael Nadal came into this year’s Australian Open with a lot of questions surrounding how he would fare at the first grand slam event of the season. Nadal’s 2021 season ended abruptly after a foot injury. On top of the foot injury, Nadal had also tested positive for Covid late last year, which put his Australian Open appearance further in doubt.

Nadal had not had much preparation for the first major of the year and it showed through uncharacteristic unforced errors during the first few rounds. In the quarterfinal Nadal had his first scare of the tournament after surrendering a two sets to love lead to Denis Shapovalov and having stomach issues late in the match, which was later confirmed to be heat stroke. Many thought that would end Nadal’s chances of winning the tournament since he is 35 years old and said that he was physically “destroyed” after the four hour match. Nadal proved his doubters wrong once again when he was able to recover and play a high quality semifinal against Matteo Berrettini, winning in four sets. This marked the sixth time that Nadal would contend for the Australian Open title, only prevailing once before in 2009 against his long time rival Roger Federer. 

The final match would prove to be the toughest match of the tournament for Nadal, who would need to get past Daniil Medvedev to win a second Australian title and 21st overall slam. Medvedev is arguably the most dangerous hard court player in the world right now, entering the prime of his career after defeating Novak Djokovic at the US Open last year. 

Medvedev was the clear favorite entering the match and it looked like he would easily win his second major title in a row after dominating the first set and taking it 6-2. Medvedev did not shy away from the moment and recovered from a break down twice in the second set, as well as being down 3-5 in the tiebreaker to take the second set 7-6. Medvedev had the finish line in sight in the third set when up 3-2 and triple break point on Nadal’s serve. For the first time in the match Medvedev seemed to tighten up slightly and Nadal took full advantage. Nadal rallied to level the set at 3-3 and went on to take the third set 6-4. Nadal continued to punish Medvedev with heavy forehands and mixing in a variety of dropshots to eventually level the set at two sets apiece. 

In the fifth set it was Nadal who struck first with a break of serve and would eventually serve for the match at 5-4. Medvedev, who had looked exhausted for much of the fourth and fifth set, found another gear to break back and level the score in the fifth. Nadal had previously lost two Australian Open finals after having a break lead in the final set and it looked for a moment that the Spaniard might come short in the same fashion for a third time. However, Nadal dug deep and broke Medvedev back immediately and successfully served the match out for a 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 victory lasting nearly five and a half hours.Nadal’s win propelled him in front of rivals Djokovic and Federer, who before this tournament were all tied with 20 grand slam titles. Not only did Nadal make history with his 21st slam, but he once again proved why he should never be counted out. The Australian Open final was a great show of Nadal’s grit and fighting spirit when all hope seemed to be lost.

Not long ago I had the opportunity to chat with one of my best friends here at Eastern about the upcoming track season. Milan Sharma is entering his last spring season as a college athlete and wants to finish it strongly. 

Sharma had an excellent season his freshman year. After a successful fall season Sharma placed second in the distance medley at an indoor championship meet. His success continued in the Spring season of his freshman year with a seventh place overall finish in a first team all MAC championship meet. Sharma was also a part of a relay team that shattered a team record in the 4 X 800 relay, which was also at a championship meet. 

It has been quite a while since that freshman season and since then Sharma has had to miss a lot of time after the majority of the 2020 season was canceled due to Covid. Not only did Sharma miss out on that time but he also missed the Fall season of 2021 after testing positive for Covid, and needing more time to recover than originally expected. 

Sharma is finally healthy again and is getting ready to close his career out as an Eastern Eagle. When I asked him about expectations for himself and the team this year, he informed me that he would be missing both championship meets this year. As a result, he does not have championship expectations for himself but wants to see the team rebuild and see freshmen step into leadership roles.

Later in our conversation, I asked Sharma about running and if it would be something he continued for himself or competitively after college. Sharma said, “I probably will take a break from running for a while. I most likely will never run competitively again, so I just want to enjoy this last season.”

The track team this year is young and Sharma is the only senior for the distance team. He is also the best distance runner on the team which makes improving difficult. When asked about how he will stay motivated Sharma said, “Honestly, my top concern is doing my best during this last season for me and enjoying every moment.” 

When thinking of sports at Eastern University, the tennis program is most likely not the first to come to mind. Sports like volleyball, basketball and soccer are far more followed and watched at Eastern. Not to mention the football team that is coming next Fall. Many students at Eastern would be surprised to know how successful the tennis team was last year, particularly the men’s team. Had one set gone differently, they would have found themselves in the semifinals of the playoffs.

All but one of the players from last year are returning for the guy’s team. In addition to the returners, the Eagles will also be getting a player from their starting lineup back from injury. Assuming the boys have been practicing, one would think they might take a step up from last year. However, none of this matters if the tennis team does not have a season this year. After the resignation of head coach Mark Spangler, it is unclear whether the tennis teams will be able to play. 

Coach Spangler’s resignation ends a nearly 15 year long stint as the Eagle’s head coach for both teams. Throughout that time Spangler was able to work with a variety of different players as well as lead several successful seasons. Fittingly, his last season ended with the men’s team making the MAC Commonwealth tournament and nearly making the semifinals.

 There is a potential candidate for head coach, however this coach would not take over the tennis program until next season. There have been rumors about one of the athletic trainers serving as an interim head coach for this season but that is not confirmed. The women’s team is in the rebuilding phase right now but certainly has capable players that would benefit from being able to play matches this season.

The men’s team on the other hand has a very mature team. It would seem the time is now for a successful season and potentially another playoff appearance. Out of seven players on the men’s roster, five are seniors. After speaking with one of the players Bryan Levi, he is definitely eager to get someone to coach for this season and be able to play. When asked about the current situation, “The team is really eager to play and see what we can do. Most of us really enjoy the sport and have fun no matter the outcome, so hopefully we will have the opportunity to play this season,” Levi said. 

Much is still to be determined about the tennis season this Spring. Questions regarding who will coach, when that process will happen and if there will be a season at all still remain. One thing that is certain is the fact that the men’s tennis team has the talent and is very capable of having another consecutive playoff run this year if given the chance.

Photo: EU Athletic Photography

Eastern tennis head coach Mark Spangler posing for a headshot.

Before this year, it had been over 40 years since the Georgia Bulldogs won the National Championship. If they wanted to win the title this year, they were going to need to go through the Alabama Crimson Tide. That would be no easy task considering Alabama had won six National Championships since 2009.

The Bulldogs were not only going through a title drought, but had also not beaten the Crimson Tide since 2007. Since Georgia’s last win, Alabama had won seven straight in their head to head rivalry. That included the Crimson Tide winning in a dramatic overtime affair in the 2018 National Championship Game, when Tua Tagovailoa found DeVonta Smith on the last play of the game to win 26-23. As well as winning that National Title, Alabama had also blown out Georgia earlier this season in the SEC Championship game by a score of 41-24. 

Despite the losing streak against Alabama, the Bulldogs entered the game as slight favorites to win. From the beginning it was clear the game could come down to which defense played better. Through the first half of the game, there was not a touchdown scored by either offense, something that is uncommon in a college football game. Alabama had a slim 9-6 lead entering the half. The Bulldogs offensive line seemed to lift their level in the second half, which allowed them to be more effective running the football. This paid off in the final minutes of the third quarter as running back Zamir White scored a one yard touchdown run for the Bulldogs to put them up 13-9. Alabama responded with another field goal. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett had played a conservative game through three quarters and it appeared he was feeling the pressure of the moment. Bennett made his first and only vital mistake early in the fourth quarter when he fumbled and lost the football deep in Georgia territory. The turnover quickly led to Alabama’s first touchdown of the game to put them up 18-13 with just over ten minutes remaining in the game. At that moment, it appeared likely that Alabama would win a seventh National Title under head coach Nick Saban. 

Bennett shook off the mistake and appeared to loosen up as he led two consecutive touchdown drives for the Bulldogs. During those drives, Bennett fired a beautiful 40 yard touchdown pass to receiver Adonai Mitchell. On the following drive, Bennett found Brock Bowers on a screen for a 15 yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 26-18 with about three minutes left. 

Alabama quarterback and 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young attempted to lead the Crimson Tide to tie the game but threw his second interception, which was returned for a touchdown by Georgia. The pick six essentially sealed the win for head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. Alabama got the ball back but the Georgia defense stepped up again. Fittingly, the last play of the game ended with another sack on Young, with the final score being 33-18 in favor of the Bulldogs. 

For Alabama, it was a disappointing way to end the season, as anything less than a National Title usually is for them. Luckily for the Crimson Tide, Young is only a Sophomore and will likely only improve before next Fall. As for Georgia, Bennett was named offensive MVP of the game finishing 17 of 26 passing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. It was the perfect way to end his college career as he helped the Bulldogs win the National Title for the first time since 1980. 

Photo: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Stetson Bennett kissing the trophy after winning the National Championship Game.

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