Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena saw another Australian Open final. No records were at stake, nor was history destined to be rewritten, yet the tennis world was about to witness something it had never imagined a fortnight ago.
Two of the greatest legends and rivals of the game, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, were squaring off against each other in what turned out to be another epic and gripping final.
As an ardent Federer worshipper, the night was not to be remembered for statistics – aces, forehand winners, backhand winners, forced and unforced errors. The night was meant to get soaked in the taste of a hard-fought triumph, a triumph that will remain etched in history as one against all odds and after an excruciating period of time.
Roll back the clock to 2009. Same stage. Same opponent. The only difference: history was at stake.
Federer was aiming for a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam. The “God, it’s killing me” after his defeat was not a mere statement of grief. It was the deep-rooted mental block – ‘I cannot beat Rafa’ – conspicuous in the tears.
Eight years later, the stage was set for a perfect revenge. For probably the last time, Federer gifted himself one more opportunity to re-stamp his authority which, according to his fans, had been usurped by Nadal.
The Swiss ace proved that getting older is not necessarily a liability. The refined and flawless backhands, the precise and lightning forehands, the aces at break points, and the early attacking returns that had until now eluded Roger in his matches against Rafa all clicked. The vintage Federer, to the delight of the tennis aficionados, was back.
It made this triumph perhaps the most gratifying of all.
I do not intend to go into the question of GOAT, but the genius on display at Rod Laver Arena, defying age, odds, and nemesis, certainly scores it as the greatest comeback.
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