On Sunday the Melbourne crowd, respecting Rafa but pulling for Roger, went crazy when Federer returned from a medical timeout to begin the fifth set. Djokovic and Murray both lost early in the tournament, clearing the path for a throwback final. With Andy Murray holding the number-one ranking and Novak Djokovic still peaking, a ninth Federer-Nadal Grand Slam final, and first since 2011 - they faced each other six times from 2006-2008 - seemed just as likely as, well, a certain presidential election outcome.īut don’t go trusting the pundits.

Federer was ranked 17th for the Aussie Open. A wrist injury hampered Nadal last season. Federer shut down his 2016 season last July, following knee surgery: he hurt himself while running a bath for his twin daughters.

Going into the tournament, few gave either legend much of a shot. The major title was Federer’s first since Wimbledon 2012. To the delight of fans across the world, the Australian Open men’s final went to five sets on Sunday Federer outlasted Nadal, his long-time nemesis, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, to win his 18th Grand Slam championship, adding to his record haul. A day after many Americans felt their country was losing its way, after thousands marched on airports where refugees and citizens from certain countries were detained for trying to enter the U.S, a rekindled tennis rivalry between two of the all-time greats, Roger Federer of Switzerland, and Rafael Nadal of Spain, more than lived up to expectations. At times, yes, the whole “sports-as-distraction” idea comes across as trite.

Roger federer rafael nadal