The Women’s Singles at the Australian Open came to an enthralling end as Serena Williams won her 7th Australian Open and 23rd Grand Slam title by defeating sister Venus 6-4, 6-4 in the final. Serena’s victory restored her No. 1 ranking and now she’s only one Grand Slam behind equaling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
With the women’s tournament done and dusted, it’s only a matter of hours before the men’s final gets underway, which is between two of the greatest players of all-time – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Both players came back to the ATP World Tour this year after injuries cut short their season last year.
Both have been in tremendous form and will be coming into the match on the back of five-set victories in the semi-finals. This will be the first Grand Slam final to feature Federer and Nadal in nearly six years and the first Grand Slam match between the two since the 2014 Australian Open semi-finals.
Over the years, Federer and Nadal have had a fierce rivalry and have met a total of 34 times previously, with Nadal leading 23-11.
The Swiss, who won the last time these two played at the 2015 Swiss Indoors in Basel has been in brilliant form in the tournament. However, Nadal has shown the world that he still has a lot of tennis left in him.
With only moments left before Federer and Nadal lock horns for a 35th time, let’s take a look at five of the best Federer-Nadal battles ever.
#5 2006 Monte Carlo Masters final
Both Federer and Nadal were in terrific form in 2006 and were coming into the Monte Carlo Masters as two of the favourites to win the title, Nadal being the defending champion. Federer had a bit of a shaky start against qualifier Novak Djokovic but had three easy wins to enter the semi-finals whereas the Spaniard was yet to drop a set in the tournament.
In the semis, Federer and Nadal defeated Fernando Gonzalez and Gaston respectively to set up a meeting in the final which would be their fifth overall. Nadal began the match brilliantly and took the first set 6-2 but Federer fought back and took the second set in a tiebreak to level the match. Nadal then won the third set 6-3.
The fourth set was a very exciting one with neither player willing to back down as the set again went into a tiebreak. However, it was the southpaw’s resilience that eventually prevailed as he won the tiebreak to win the match and defend his title.
#4 2007 Wimbledon final
At the 2007 Wimbledon, Federer was looking to equal Bjorn Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles while Nadal was eager to win his first Wimbledon title after losing in the final the previous year. Both Federer and Nadal would reach the final again this time but their journey to the final wasn’t same at all.
While the Swiss dropped only one set en route to the final, Nadal played two consecutive five-set matches in the third and fourth rounds before entering the final after Novak Djokovic retired early in the semis.
The first set was tightly contested before Federer took it in a thrilling tiebreak. The second set was also heading the same way before Nadal broke Federer in the final game to take the set 6-4. The third set saw neither player breaking the other’s serve as it went to a tiebreak. The Swiss held his nerve and won the tiebreak to go ahead in the match.
However, Nadal was not in the mood to throw in the towel and he raced to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set and levelled the match by winning the set 6-2. The final set was a melodramatic one as Nadal failed to convert four break points and Federer held his nerve in the crunch situations before winning the set 6-2 to win the match and a fifth Wimbledon title.
The match lasted three hours and 45 minutes and was considered by many to be one of the greatest Wimbledon finals ever.
#3 2009 Australian Open final
When Federer won the 2008 US Open, he was only one Grand Slam short of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams. Nadal had a brilliant 2008 where he won the French Open and Wimbledon titles, became the World No. 1 and won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Both reached the final of the 2009 Australian Open, which would be the first final between Federer and Nadal in Melbourne.
While Federer had come into the final on the back a comfortable straight set victory over Andy Roddick in the semi-finals, Nadal had to overcome compatriot Fernando Verdasco in a gruelling five-setter to reach his first Australian Open final.
The Swiss did not begin the match well as a double fault coupled with a few unforced errors gifted Nadal an early break in the very first game but he responded by breaking the Spaniard in the next game. Federer once again broke Nadal to lead 4-2 before the latter bounced back to level the scores at 5-5. Nadal then broke Federer for a third time to take the set 7-5.
The second set once again saw Nadal breaking early but Federer came back strong and broke him twice before taking the set 6-3 to level the match. The third set saw both players hold their serve as the set went to a tiebreak, which was won by Nadal 7-3. However, the Swiss did not back down and came back strong to take the fourth set 6-3 and the match to a fifth set.
The final set saw the gifted right-hander display signs of exhaustion as a few backhand errors handed Nadal an early break and he was soon trailing 2-5. The southpaw eventually broke his serve for a second time in the set to claim his first Australian Open title.
What followed the match was one of the most heartwarming moments in tennis history as Federer broke down during his runner-up speech only for Rafa to console him.
#2 2006 Rome Masters final
Undoubtedly the greatest non-Grand Slam final between Federer and Nadal. Both were heavy favourites to win the Rome Masters and both reached the final; albeit in contrasting ways. While Nadal had a comfortable straight set victory over Gael Monfils in the semi-finals, Federer was pushed to three sets by David Nalbandian before the former prevailed.
The first set of the final went into a tiebreak which Federer comfortable claimed 7-0. The second set was another dramatic affair as it went to another tiebreak. However, this time, it was Nadal who held his nerve and took the tiebreak 7-5 to level the match.
The third set saw Nadal take control as he produced a crucial break before taking the set 6-4 to go ahead in the match. However, Federer was not done. He came back strongly in the fourth set and levelled the match by taking the set 6-2.
In the final set, it seemed that the Swiss maestro would capture the title as he rose to a 4-1 lead. However, the Spaniard bounced back brilliantly by saving a match point and taking the set to a tiebreak, where Federer led 5-3 before the Spaniard held his nerve and won the tiebreak 7-5 to defend his title at Rome.
The match lasted for 5 hours and 5 minutes and is the longest match between Nadal and Federer till date.
#1 2008 Wimbledon final
After reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open and winning a fourth consecutive French Open title, Rafael Nadal was eyeing the Wimbledon title and the World No. 1 ranking whereas Federer wanted to become the first man to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Both players had an easy passage to the final with Nadal dropping only one set en route and Federer none The start of the final was delayed by around 35 minutes due to rain but once it started, the Spaniard looked to be in control of the match as he won the first two sets 6-4. Federer bounced back in the third set to lead 5-4 before rain stopped play for 80 minutes.
After play resumed, the third set went the distance and Federer held his nerve to take the tiebreak before saving two championship points to take the fourth set in another tiebreak. Rain once again intervened and delayed the match even further with murmurs of resuming play only the next day getting louder.
However, play resumed soon enough and in the final set, Federer was only two points away from a sixth Wimbledon title but Nadal held his nerve and serve. The Spaniard eventually ended Federer’s reign by taking the final set 9-7, thus ending the Swiss maestro’s 41-match unbeaten streak at Wimbledon and handing him his first Wimbledon defeat since Mario Ancic in 2002.
The match is still the longest Wimbledon final ever at 4 hours and 48 minutes and was the longest Grand Slam final before the 2012 Australian Open final. The 2008 final is regarded by many to be the greatest Wimbledon final of all time.
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