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2017 Australian Open Men's singles, semi-final Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Park Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal |
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In what should be an Australian Open final for the ages, two of the sport’s greatest ever, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal square off for the right to be crowned champion. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEDT).
It’s been dubbed the Throwback Open, and it’s hard to argue after Serena Williams beat Venus Williams on Saturday in the women’s final, and now we have one of the greatest rivalries lining up for a crack at the men’s final.
Since their first meeting in 2004, the pair have played a staggering 36 times, but it’s Nadal who holds all the cards with 25 wins.
It also includes all three meetings at the Australian Open, including the epic 2009 final when he won in five sets.
While Nadal does hold the edge historically, six years of age won’t help him recover from what was an incredible semi-final against 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov.
Dimitrov stepped it up to play possibly his best match ever despite losing, Nadal eventually winning in a staggering five hours of tennis.
It was a marathon for Nadal and his second brutal five-set match of the tournament after being taken all the way by Alexander Zverev in the third round.
Federer has also played two five-set matches throughout the tournament, but they were shorter against Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka and he has had an extra day to recover.
The biggest problem for Federer has been his consistency from one set to the next, and it’s something he must get right against Nadal, because the momentum won’t be turned as easily.
Nonetheless, he has been using every offensive weapon in his toolkit and playing some absolutely fantastic tennis.
That’s not to say Nadal hasn’t played high quality tennis because he most certainly has. The semi-final against Dimitrov was one of the best matches across the tournament and the way he blew Milos Raonic off the court in the quarter-final was fantastic.
Prediction
Whatever happens, let’s hope for an absolute classic. Federer and Nadal are two of the greatest ever and it could well be the last time they square off in a grand slam final.
As for the actual prediction – Nadal will be fatigued after his five-hour semi-final battle, but has the edge over Federer. It’s near impossible to see it ending in straight sets and with an extra day of recovery, Federer should hold the physical edge.
Nadal is such a fighter though and he has an edge in this famous rivalry that is impossible to ignore. Still, Federer is playing some amazing tennis and looks to be in form we haven’t seen for years.
I’m not tipping with any confidence, but Federer in five sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the final from 7:30pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde