Federer-Nadal: Australian Open final so good, it can’t be believed
As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal struggled through injury-plagued 2016 seasons, it seemed like they would have a better chance of renewing their venerable rivalry on the Champions Tour than in another Grand Slam final.
But thanks to an apparent Fountain of Youth in Melbourne, the duo will meet in the Australian Open final once again Sunday, a day after the Williams sisters face off in the women’s final. It’s the first time in the Open era that all four finalists are 30 or over.
“For me, [it’s] a very, very special thing for both of us to be in the final of a major after a couple of years of having some problems,” Nadal said after his semifinal victory, an epic five-setter over Grigor Dimitrov.
They sure did have “some problems.”
The two men who dominated the tour from 2005-10 fell on hard times — relatively speaking — in recent years. Federer, 35, sat out six months last year due to a knee injury, and Nadal, 30, battled a bad wrist.
Those setbacks led to Federer entering the Australian Open as the No. 17 seed, while Nadal was No. 9, but that won’t matter Sunday, when they will meet at Rod Laver Arena for the ninth time in a Grand Slam final.
Nadal is 6-2 in those meetings, though it will be the first time they will square off in a major final since the 2011 French Open. The most recent matchup in Australia came in 2014, when Nadal won in straight sets in the semifinals.
That was just another victory in the rivalry for Nadal, whose dominance in head-to-head matchups — he holds a 23-11 advantage — is the major blemish on Federer’s credentials as the best in tennis history.
“Rafa’s definitely presented the biggest challenge,” Federer said after his five-set semifinal win over Stan Wawrinka. “I played him too many times on clay early in my career, and it affected how I played him on other surfaces. This court allows me to play offense.”
Federer could have an advantage Sunday, having played a day earlier than Nadal, on the blue hardcourts of Melbourne.
Federer hasn’t captured a Grand Slam title since 2012, when he won Wimbledon for the seventh time. Nadal is set to appear in his first Grand Slam final since the 2014 French Open, where he won his record ninth crown on the red clay.
“I never, ever in my wildest dream felt I was going to be coming this far in Australia, and here I am,” Federer said. “It’s beautiful. I’m so happy.”
Nadal expressed similar feelings.
“I worked a lot this month and a half at home,” Nadal said. “I never, ever dreamed to be back in the final of the second tournament of the year. … Here I am. I feel lucky.”
Federer is the all-time men’s leader in Grand Slam titles with 17, while Nadal is tied for second with Pete Sampras at 14.
“[It’s] special to play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam,” Nadal said. “I cannot lie. [It’s] exciting for me and for both of us that we’re still there and we’re still fighting for important events.”
Especially since their last meeting was canceled because neither was healthy when Federer visited Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain, in the fall.
“We were supposed to play an exhibition match,” Nadal said. “But he was injured with his knee and me with my wrist. We hit some balls with the juniors. … Both of us never felt we’re going to be here in the final of the Australian Open.”