Australian Open: Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal tipped as 'biggest' final ever

Posted

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are set to do battle in what organisers have declared the biggest Australian Open final in the tournament's 105-year history. “It was awkward with the challenge, but that’s how it is.”

Federer sustained a knee injury last year, the day after he lost in the semifinals at Melbourne Park when he was bathing his children. But Nadal, who also missed the end of last season recovering from a wrist injury, could not manage to stop Federer in what may have been their last hurrah together in a Grand Slam final. Until now, it was their only hard court major final

Up until now, the 2009 final in Melbourne was incredibly the only time these two ever met in a hard-court grand slam final, having contested three Wimbledon finals and three French Open finals. “Today, a great match, probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me.”

Federer’s championship victory capped a remarkable weekend for 30-somethings — all four singles finalists were 30 or older — after 35-year-old Serena Williams beat her older sister, Venus, in the women’s final to capture her Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam title. He is now the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 45 years, and he pulled it off by defeating his longtime rival Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, on Sunday to win the Australian Open for the fifth time. The five-set thriller stretched past midnight in Melbourne, with Nadal serving out the game at 5-4 for his 21st Grand Slam final and a possible 15th career grand slam if he was able to beat Roger Federer. “Today he beat me, and I just congratulate him.”

The final — one that few could have foreseen when this tournament began — was a flashback to a decade ago, when Federer and Nadal were long the top two players in the world. Prior to the set starting, Federer took a medical timeout off the court for a right upper leg problem — he rarely has done that in his career, but he did the same in the semifinal against Stan Wawrinka. I kept on believing…that there was a possibility I could win this match.”

Nadal understood how close he was to victory and how his serve failed him at times, most especially in that fifth set. Nadal also had won eight of their 10 matches on outdoor hard courts coming into Sunday night’s final and had beaten Federer in their three previous matches at the Australian Open. Federer took advantage of a sixth break point in the sixth game to pull even to 3-3, and he broke on a fifth break point in the ninth game to set up serving for the match at 5-3. After missing six months of tennis from July to January, the 35-year-old Federer, who hadn't won a Grand Slam singles title since Wimbledon in 2012, improbably ran his major total to 18, four ahead of Nadal.
In tennis, Roger Federer of Switzerland defeats Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final of the men's singles.