The Swiss misfired on a forehand on the next point, and his opponent smelled blood.“You get the feeling that Nadal is just locked in now. He was seeded third and drawn in the same half as Rafael Nadal, with both chasing the No.1 spot after the tournament. He flirted with earning the match’s first break chance in the third game, but his chance was foiled at 30-all when a Nadal forehand clipped the tape and barely crawled over the net.Undaunted, Federer once again pressured Nadal’s serve at 3-all with a preview of things to come. Roger Federer has a 54–5 (91.5%) ATP match win-loss record in the 2017 season. SR=strike rate (events won/competed) It was an example of the complete physical, and mental punishment that Nadal is capable of imposing on his opponents and, on this night, it was to the point that Federer famously had a complete emotional breakdown during the trophy ceremony.Eight years, four children, and ten more head-to-head losses later, Federer found himself staring down a familiar, ever-darkening tunnel.Made famous for the charisma, beauty, and elegance of his game, Federer’s fighting spirit as a champion has often been down-played. The men’s matchup worked in tandem with the women’s final pitting Serena Williams against Venus Williams to create an utterly surreal situation.“The feeling around the grounds here is one of celebration,” ESPN’s Chris McKendry said.The sense of occasion was undoubtedly not lost on the participants themselves. Eventually, on Federer’s second set point, he solidified his advantage with a deft drop-volley.In the long quest for his 18th major title, Roger Federer had only once ever gotten within one set of the accolade and even in that match, the 2014 Wimbledon Final, he had had to fight back in the fourth set to also earn his way into a fifth.But Nadal wasn’t ready to be on the wrong side of history. There was no way to ignore it.Those whispers soon grew to murmurs and eventually soft conversations as both the Swiss Maestro and the Macho Man from Mallorca played themselves into form as the tournament went on. Nadal challenged the call, adding one final bit of suspense to an evening already saturated with it, but the winner was confirmed, and so was history.Federer jumped for joy, screamed with delight, and then knelt with tears as the emotion and reality of the achievement seemed to sink in.“The remarkable Roger Federer.
The Spaniard fought back to 30-all, but Federer followed with a signature half-volley forehand winner down the line.
He relentlessly fired away at Federer’s backhand, resulting in an easy forehand winner up the line for the Spaniard in the opening point. It was their record ninth meeting in a Grand Slam final in their rivalry, and their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 French Open. In that match, Federer battled bravely to force a fifth but showed noticeable signs of fatigue soon after. Still, relative to his fierce rivals and fellow legends Nadal and Djokovic, the Swiss’ legacy has been primarily painted by flash and not fire.But on this night, the fight of a champion reared its head.In Nadal’s ensuing service game, Federer seemed to discover his firepower once again. Federer fired another ace to earn a second championship point and then painted the outside of the line with a forehand winner. Tennis fan and writer. He held to 15 to stay in touch in the set and, after the changeover, Nadal stepped to the line needing only three more holds to earn his 15th major title and erase years of frustration fueled by injuries and inconsistency.But Federer was ready in the trenches. Another forehand error handed over yet another game point, and the stage was set for what many probably expected, at the time, could go down as the point of the tournament.With an immaculate, lunging, forehand slice winner, Nadal finished off his mission to consolidate his advantage, and the world could smell a fifth.In the ensuing game, Federer completely messed up an overhead smash and Nadal capitalized to earn an opportunity for a double break. The Swiss dug in with immaculate defence on the opening point of the game before eventually fighting his way back into the rally and then launching another backhand winner.“That says a lot about what Roger needs to do and what he seems willing to do,” John McEnroe said. After a brief look around the stadium, the Australian tennis legend joined with thousands in a standing ovation.“You asked Chris when are these two guys going to start playing their best together,” John McEnroe said. Both posted impressive victories over several highly-ranked, younger opponents, and as the bracket slimmed and the field condensed, the dream grew.With both men persevering through outstanding 5-set matches in the semifinal stage, the lineup card was stamped for a Sunday night special: Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal was going to happen in a major final at least one more time.In the hours between Nadal’s epic triumph over Grigor Dimitrov Friday night and Sunday’s eventual introduction, the atmosphere of Melbourne Park was beyond excited and rather more resembling of ecstasy down to the literal detail of not knowing if what was being seen was real. Still, on the second, after attempting to redirect a forehand up the line, the Swiss misfired.A slight stroll down memory lane brings back glorious sights for Nadal fans and frustrating horrors for Federer’s; a recollection of the 2009 Australian Open final between the two legends reveals a potentially similar formula.
It was contested between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, ranked 17th and 9th in the world respectively. During the changeover, TV cameras found Rod Laver.