Rafael Nadal advances to Australian Open semifinals with 5-set win over Denis Shapovalov

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MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rafael Nadal fended off Denis Shapovalov in a four-hour, five-set match to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the seventh time, and said he felt almost destroyed.

After breaking his racket in frustration at the end of the 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 loss to Nadal, he felt like he got special treatment.

There were a lot of momentum-changing moments on a hot Tuesday at Rod Laver Arena, including Nadal needing treatment for a stomach ailment after dominating the first two sets.

The chair umpire Carlos Bernardes was the one who reprimanded the player for taking too long between points.

I respect everything that Rafa has done, and I think he is an unbelievable player. There needs to be some boundaries, some rules set. You feel like you are playing against more than one player, you are playing against so much more.

The fact that Nadal is one step closer to his 21st Grand Slam singles title was not changed.

The men have a record of 20 major singles titles, and the 35-year-old Spaniard is one of them. Neither of those two are in Melbourne, and neither of them was deported for failing to meet Australia's COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

At a tournament where he has only once won the title and lost seven of his previous 13 quarterfinals, Nadal looked vulnerable in the third and fourth sets.

After a seven-minute break between the last point of the fourth set and his first serve in the fifth, he recovered to save a break point with an ace, hold serve and then break the teen for a 2-0 lead.

Nadal said that his revival was a little bit of a miracle. Every game that I was winning with my serve was a victory for me.

He said that he would get over it, and rejected the idea that he gets any special treatment.

I feel bad for him. I think he played a great match for a long time.

I wish him all the best, but he will probably understand later on after he thinks the proper way that he was not right today.

The amount of time that Nadal was allowed to serve and the break before the fifth set incensed him.

It was a big break after the fourth set for this reason. The refs have been on the clock for every single point in every other match that I have played. After the first two sets, it was like an hour and a half because he was dragged out so much.

He has been given a lot of time in between sets. It has just been dragged out.

It is definitely emotional, but I stand by my side. I think it is unfair that he is getting away with a lot.

At the end of the first and second sets, Nadal said he took some extra time to change his clothes, but he doesn't get any extra treatment.

It is always in the mind of the top players that they get bigger advantages, and that is not true, Nadal said. I don't think I had an advantage on the court, and I think he's wrong in that case.

When it was over, Nadal nodded his head and went to the corner.

The racket was shattered on the court.

I was destroyed. It was a tough day. Nadal said that he was playing well at the beginning of the match. Denis is very aggressive. He was serving a lot.

I think I had a chance at the beginning of the third. I did not understand it. I started to feel fatigued. It is amazing to be in the semifinals.

The semifinal match between Nadal and Berrettini will be played on Friday. The Wimbledon runner-up, who became the first Italian man to reach the Australian Open semifinals, held on to beat No. 17 MonFils.

It was great to have two days off. In terms of movement, I felt good. It was a good test. I think I will be ready for the semifinals.

The report was contributed to by the Associated Press.