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Australian Open men’s final, Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal

WITH the final in the balance during the fifth set, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal produced their most astonishing rally.

James Matthey
15 min read
January 30, 2017 - 6:21AM
Two champions.
Two champions.

Live: Australian Open final, Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer is a grand slam champion once again, defeating Rafael Nadal in an epic Australian Open final.

THIS is why people talk about Roger Federer being the greatest tennis player of all time.

The Swiss maestro won grand slam number 18 by beating long-time rival Rafael Nadal in five sets on Rod Laver Arena. At 35 and having not won a major title since 2012, he showed everyone he’s not about to fade away just yet.

(17) Roger Federer (SUI) defeated (9) Rafael Nadal (ESP) 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3

11:35pm

‘Out of this world’

We thought we’d seen the point of the match already, but Nadal and Federer outdid themselves with the score locked at deuce on Nadal’s serve when Federer led 4-3 in the fifth set.
They hit with incredible power and depth for 26 shots. How they played with such physicality and skill at this late stage in a pressure situation is something us mere mortals will probably never be able to comprehend.

“Out of this world,” Todd Woodbridge said. “Incredible tennis, just unbelievable.”

“Put that point in a time capsule,” Jim Courier added.

This is the point question. Prepare to be suitably gobsmacked.

Shortly afterwards, Federer broke to take a 5-3 lead, and despite a few more nervous moments he went on to serve it out and claim his 18th grand slam title.

11.25pm

Federer wins Open epic

He’s back.
He’s back.

Welcome back, Roger Federer.

The man who has been absent from grand slam finals for more than four years returned in the best possible style on one of his favourite courts in the world. He hadn’t played in an Australian Open decider since 2010, but seven years later, you could hardly notice a difference between the man we saw then compared to the man we saw on Sunday.

The Swiss won grand slam number 18 after beating fierce rival Rafael Nadal 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3. It was the fifth time he’s held the trophy aloft at Melbourne Park and the first time he’s played three five-set matches at a grand slam, after earlier epics against Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka.

“I’m out of words … I’d like to thank Rafa on an amazing comeback. I don’t think either one of us thought we were going to be in the finals in Australia when we saw each other at his academy five months ago,” Federer said in the post-match presentation.

“I would have been happy to lose to be honest, the comeback was perfect as it was. There are no draws in tennis but if there was I would have been happy to draw and share it with Rafa, really.”

In a match billed as one of the biggest in tennis history, both Federer and Nadal showed why they are, and always will be, champions. They were supposed to have made way for new tennis superstars like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Their golden days were supposed to be over.

Apparently not.

Aussie tennis legend Todd Woodbridge rightly described the match as “out of this world” late in the fifth set.

The Fed Express’s backhand return was something special, hitting it harder than his forehand returns. His running forehand too in open play was exquisite.

Nadal found his trademark curling forehand as the match lengthened. Every time he seemed lost, he found his way back again. He was comprehensively outplayed in the first and third sets, but came back to dominate the second and fourth. Unfortunately for him he couldn’t replicate that in the fifth.

Well deserved.
Well deserved.

It was vintage Federer as he won the first set 6-4, taking advantage of Nadal finding himself out of position too often, going to great lengths to run around backhands and hit his favourite forehand.

But there’s a reason Nadal has won 14 grand slams. He just doesn’t go away. The 30-year-old rebounded in the second to take it 6-3, showing the resilience that has put him on the same ladder — if not the same rung — as Federer when it comes to discussion around the greatest players we’ve ever seen.

Federer looked like he was heading down a slippery slope early in the third, miscuing easy forehands and hitting simple volleys into the net. But a sumptuous forehand winner down the line — hit on the half volley — kicked the Swiss into gear in the third game. He raced ahead, taking a two sets to one lead courtesy of his 6-1 demolition.

Again, Rafa refused to die. He took the match into a decider as the dream final turned into reality. Nadal broke early in the fifth as Federer slowed, but then it was if the 35-year-old flicked a switch.

He decided to hit and hit hard. The winners and unforced errors flowed as he imposed himself on the match in one final act of defiance. Federer broke back and although he suffered some late nerves, double faulting on championship point, hit a forehand winner to claim his 18th grand slam title.

11.15pm

The epic fifth set

After leaving the court to receive treatment for a pre-existing abductor injury at the end of the fourth set, the trainer came out once again to attend to Roger Federer early in the fifth.

The first we heard about the ailment was during the 35-year-old’s semi-final win over Stan Wawrinka, and it must have been troubling him again on Sunday night.

Nadal broke the Fed Express in the first game of the decider then held to take a crucial 2-1 lead. He was down a break point in the next game but saved himself with some clutch serving to put one hand on the trophy at 3-1 up.

But Federer wasn’t about to slide quietly into the night. The Swiss started going for everything. So often players say “being aggressive” is the key to success, and in the final set, Federer was personifying aggression, even bordering on recklessness.

Jim Courier certainly thought so.

“Federer has had 13 winners against six unforced errors in this set. He’s losing it. That is ridiculous,” Courier said with Nadal up 3-2.

It may have been “ridiculous”, but it was also damn effective. As the players lifted the crowd did the same. Organisers must have been worried the roof would blow away when Federer broke Nadal for the first time in the final set to level things up at 3-3.

The 35-year-old marched on, taking a lead for the first time in the set when he held serve to go up 4-3.

Then came the point of the match, the one Todd Woodbridge said was “out of this world”. With the score locked at deuce on Nadal’s serve, Federer and Nadal shared a 26-shot rally of astonishing quality.

Federer went up 5-3, and after seeing off two break points while serving for the match, he claimed the championship with a forehand winner as he jubilantly celebrated in front of an adoring crowd.

10.15pm

‘Oh, no way!’

As Rafael Nadal served at 3-1 up in the third set, we saw why both he and Federer, at 30 and 35 respectively, still command tennis fans’ attention every time they step onto the court.

They played out an incredible rally, dubbed “the point of the match” by Jim Courier, as the pair scrambled from one side of the court to the other, hitting ridiculous angles and forcing each other to pull out the best they had to offer.

The chockies eventually went to Nadal who, following a Federer cross-court backhand, went at full stretch to somehow not only reach the ball, but hit it at such an angle as to make it impossible for his Swiss rival to even get close to making a return.

“Oh, no way! It just went to another level,” Todd Woodbridge said.

“A point that had everything, the point of the match,” Jim Courier added. “Exquisite shot-making, movement, athleticism, angles and then this. A squash shot.

“Even Roger has to applaud for that one.”

After being overrun in the third set, Nadal displayed all his trademark resilience in the fourth to claim it 6-3. His mental strength as much as his racquet-wielding prowess kept him alive as he took the match to a decider.

“It’s an epic,” Woodbridge said.

At the end of the set Federer called for a medical time-out and left the court, most likely to treat an ongoing abductor issue.

9.35pm

Federer’s ‘remarkable’ effort

Federer just experienced a minor blip.
Federer just experienced a minor blip.

Roger Federer looked like he was losing the plot in the first game of the third set. He chunked easy forehands and hit simple volleys into the net, going from 40-0 to deuce courtesy of some careless unforced errors.

He served himself out of trouble in that game, but it was far from a positive sign for the 17-time major winner. After a disappointing second set, it looked like Federer was headed down a slippery slope.

But he rebounded in the second game, highlighted by a sumptuous forehand winner down the line hit on the half volley. He broke Nadal then next game held serve to love. It was as if that second set and first game of the third never existed.

“Nadal must be thinking, ‘What’s just happened?’” Todd Woodbridge said. “Five minutes ago, less even, he was the guy looking all in control.”

Federer’s resurgence only got stronger. Nadal battled for an important hold to get on the board at 3-1, but the Swiss was doing it much easier, holding to love as he surged to a 4-1 lead that later became 5-1 when he broke the Spaniard yet again.

His returning was causing Nadal all sorts of problems, hitting with ferocity particularly off his backhand wing. Federer was actually generating more pace from his famous one-hander than his forehand. His average backhand return speed was 106km/h compared to 103km/h on his forehand.

“He’s hit his backhand so well tonight, his return speed on the backhand is more than the forehand. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before,” Lleyton Hewitt said.

“Never, never … that is remarkable,” Jim Courier added.

Federer’s powerful ball striking saw him take the third set 6-1 for a two sets to one lead.

8.55pm

‘It’s getting a little ridiculous’

Nadal was on fire in the second set.
Nadal was on fire in the second set.

If you want to know just how long the Federer-Nadal rivalry has been going, you only needed to see how well the Spaniard was dealing with his opponent’s approach shots.

Nadal was either very lucky or knew Federer’s game so well from years of playing him that he was able to guess which way to go almost every time the Swiss tried to advance and hit a winner.

“It’s getting a little ridiculous how well Nadal is guessing on these approach shots. He has guessed right nearly every time,” Jim Courier said.

“It’s surprising to me too,” Todd Woodbridge added. “Because Roger on a couple of those had time to use peripheral vision to actually hit it into the open court and he has still gone with his first choice.”

Nadal’s anticipation was part of the reason he dominated the second set, breaking twice to win it 6-3. The left-hander started hitting his forehand much better, both inside-out and on the run, which started to worry the Fed Express.

By contrast, Federer was making more unforced errors — 13 to Nadal’s three — as the 30-year-old bullied his famous foe.

8.15pm

Open mystery ‘not pleasant’

The match started with some long rallies as both players held their initial service games.

Playing long points would generally suit Nadal, who is known for his incredible durability and resilience, but he has spent nearly five hours more on court than Federer this tournament, so may be a little weary by now. He is also coming off an epic five-set semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov.

Federer too is reportedly dealing with an upper leg injury, so he won’t want to play too many long rallies either.

After four games the score was locked at 2-2.

As Nadal served at 3-3 we saw vintage Federer. The Spaniard was running around backhands to hit his favoured forehand, leaving the Swiss with plenty of open court to aim at. He took advantage by defending early when up 30-15 in the seventh game then asserting himself later in the point, earning a break point opportunity which he was able to take.

“Breathtaking from Federer to set up two set points,” Jim Courier said. “More of this, please. Great tennis from both players. Nadal was on offence early and Federer was able to flip the script.”

Federer then held to love in less than a minute to capitalise on his break and served out the set 6-4 to grab the early initiative.

“He’s played the perfect set so far,” Lleyton Hewitt said.

Remarkably, Federer dropped only four points on serve for the entire set.

Off the court, some unwelcome sounds were making their way into Melbourne Park.

7pm

Federer’s mysterious move

Roger Federer banned the media and members of the public from watching him warm up ahead of tonight’s grand slam final, instead having a closed practice session on Margaret Court Arena.

It adds another layer of uncertainty to what lies ahead for the 35-year-old, who is reportedly battling an upper leg injury that required treatment in his semi-final win over Stan Wawrinka.

“Basically he hasn’t been seen publicly since Thursday night, so the mystery continues to grow around Roger,” Channel Seven’s Nathan Templeton said. “We will find out how his fitness is when he takes on Rafa tonight.”

6pm

This is not the time for the GOAT debate

Now is not the time to discuss who the greatest player ever is.
Now is not the time to discuss who the greatest player ever is.

We know Federer vs Nadal has been hyped up by some as the biggest final in tennis history.

Before the mouth-watering showdown was confirmed, recent International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Andy Roddick said it could potentially be the “most important match in grand slam history”.

For sentimental reasons and the fact it could define the pair’s long running rivalry, this isn’t so far-fetched. A Federer win sees him claim an 18th grand slam trophy and pull four ahead of Nadal with 14. It’s hard to see the Spaniard reigning Federer in from such a position.

However, if the left-hander wins on Sunday, that gap is a much slimmer 15-17, and the younger Nadal has time on his side to at least catch up to the Swiss maestro.

But while this intrigue warrants such a discussion about the dynamic between the two tour veterans, that doesn’t mean it’s the right time to finalise who the GOAT — Greatest Of All Time — is.

Roddick certainly thought as much when he reminded everyone of his viewpoint this time last year, when he said the GOAT debate didn’t need to unfold until both men had finished their careers.

Last year the American said: “Discussing GOAT in men’s tennis right now is like reading three quarters of a book, and wanting to discuss the ending.” He linked to that post on his Twitter account on Sunday, warning people about rushing into making such a definitive call too soon.

5.30pm

The surprising stat that should worry Roger

Rafa doesn’t have Roger’s measure on clay only.
Rafa doesn’t have Roger’s measure on clay only.

Rafael Nadal is one of the few players who can claim to have Roger Federer’s measure.

The Spaniard boasts a 23-11 head-to-head record against his fiercest rival, and many would automatically assume the majority of those 23 wins have come on clay — Nadal’s favourite surface. This is certainly true, given he’s beaten the Swiss 13 times on dirt (four of those coming in French Open finals).

But the stat that should worry Federer most is the fact Nadal has also bested him on outdoor hardcourts. He’s well on top with an 8-2 record. Federer hasn’t beaten his left-handed nemesis on such a surface since 2012 at Indian Wells.

The courts at Melbourne Park are reportedly much faster this year though, and Federer has stated publicly that has helped him. Many others have pinned it as part of the reason for his incredible revival too.

However, while the Fed Express has won four Australian Open titles to Nadal’s one, with the above stat in mind, the familiar surrounds of Rod Laver Arena on the final night of the year’s first grand slam may not be as comforting to the 35-year-old as they once were.

5.15pm

Cash: ‘Rafa is choking’

Nadal’s been far from perfect in Melbourne.
Nadal’s been far from perfect in Melbourne.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash believes Rafael Nadal is vulnerable to a grand slam choke as Roger Federer eyes the ultimate climax to his milestone 100th Australian Open match.

Nadal’s charge to his first major final since winning the 2014 French Open has many tipping the Spaniard will land his 15th grand slam title and draw to within two of Federer’s record 17 on Sunday night.

Cash, though, believes the baseline warrior is susceptible to an attacking onslaught from the revitalised Federer, who hasn’t beaten his great rival at a major in almost 10 years.

Cash said Nadal’s frailties were exposed during his sapping five-set semi-final win over Grigor Dimitrov.

“Under pressure, Rafa’s not playing too good,” the two-time Open finalist told AAP. “He’s choking on serve returns — always (hitting) really short and just misses returns.

“Friday night, he had break points but just missed second-serve returns. Like, come on.

“He gets tight under pressure now.”

Cash said while Federer and others like Dimitrov with single-handed backhands historically struggled to cope with Nadal’s ferocious, high-spinning forehands, the faster Melbourne Park courts this year would definitely favour Federer.

“The ball doesn’t bounce that high this year,” said Cash, who also believes Federer’s freshness after a six-month lay-off and improved game plan give the 35-year-old a huge chance to end his run of outs against Nadal. “The only thing is Rafa’s got him in the head. For me, that’s the only question mark.

“When he plays Roger, he just plays out of his mind. He improves 20 per cent ... I’m intrigued to see if he can do that again. That would be unbelievable.”

— Darren Walton, AAP

5pm

Federer vs Nadal: The hype

One of the great rivalries.
One of the great rivalries.

Tennis titans 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.

Twenty-four hours after Serena Williams denied sister Venus 6-4 6-4 in the oldest women’s grand slam decider ever, Federer and Nadal will also roll back the years in a retro men’s final on Rod Laver Arena.

A strong crowd had already begun to file in to Melbourne Park on Sunday afternoon, hours before one of the most hotly anticipated clashes in recent history.

Officials will take the unprecedented step of opening up Margaret Court Arena and telecasting the final on a big screen inside the 7500-seat stadium, with the champion set to speak at the venue after the match.

“It’ll be the biggest crowd (at Melbourne Park) for a finals weekend, for sure,” tournament director Craig Tiley said on Sunday.

“From a global audience point of view, we know last year our event surpassed 350 million globally that watched it. All the indicators that we’ve got as we stand here now (suggest) that we’ll surpass that number.

“From an Australian Open final point of view, from a global point of view and I think from a stadium point of view, it’ll be the biggest (ever).”

The appearances of Serena (35), Venus (36), Federer (35) and Nadal (30) in the championship matches marks the first time the veteran quartet has played off for the men’s and women’s trophies since Wimbledon in 2008.

The odds of such a scenario unfolding at the start of the tournament were 16,000-1, according to veteran bookmaker Gerard Daffy.

The UBET spruiker said the Williams sisters and Federer and Nadal all making the Open final was, in terms of odds, the biggest shock since sports betting was legalised in Australia in 1992.

Bookmakers around the world stand to lose millions if the hugely popular Federer can topple Nadal for the first time at a grand slam in a decade. Federer, already the men’s all-time grand slam title leader, is attempting to win his 18th major four-and-a-half years after last reigning at one of tennis’s four biggest events.

It’s also the Swiss master’s first tournament back since breaking down at Wimbledon last July with a recurrence of a knee injury he required surgery for five months earlier.

Nadal, chasing his 15th slam, is hoping to crown his own comeback from an injury-ravaged 2016 season and re-enter the conversation about who is the sport’s greatest modern-day player.

— Michael Ramsey and Darren Walton, AAP

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