Epic Australian Open capped off with Federer winning No. 18 over Nadal

It was a fitting end to an epic 2017 Australian Open.

And it was so good, in fact, that the winner said during the trophy ceremony that he would have been happy if it had ended in a tie–or even a loss.

But without any exceptions, tennis matches and tennis tournaments can only end well for one player, and that one player on Sunday night in Melbourne was Roger Federer. Federer’s third five-set victory of the fortnight gave him Grand Slam title No. 18 and Aussie Open title No. 5, which he clinched by outlasting long-time rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 after three hours and 37 minutes.

Although the fifth proved to be a nail-biting thriller that was nowhere close to being decided until the final shot was shown to be in, no set was particularly competitive in terms of the scoreline. Federer took control in the first, breaking for 4-3 and holding his next two service games with the loss of just one point. Nadal hit back in the second, seizing a 4-0 lead before mostly cruising from there despite giving one of the breaks back. The two former world No. 1s took turns gaining the upper hand in the third and fourth, as well, with Federer once again inching ahead only to see Nadal respond in emphatic fashion.

That paved the way to a dramatic decider, which lasted only nine games but packed an unforgettable punch in a short amount of time.

Nadal delivered the first blow, but it was not enough to knock Federer out. After dropping his initial service game to fall behind 1-0 and then 2-0, the Swiss eventually broke back to get on level terms at 3-3. That ignited a streak of five straight games in Federer’s favor after he trailed 3-1. His second break of the set came in an incredible game with Nadal serving at 3-4, which ended when Federer forced the Spaniard into an error with a perfect cross-court forehand return.

The 35-year-old served thing out in clutch fashion one game later, but not before fighting back from a 15-40 deficit. Federer eventually converted his second championship point with a forehand winner off the sideline that Nadal unsuccessfully challenged.

Highlights:

“I kept on fighting,” Federer explained. “I kept on believing–like I did all match long today–that there was a possibility I could win this match. I think that’s what made me play my best tennis at the very end.”

“I think [it was] a great match,” Nadal assured. “I enjoyed to be part of it. I fought to try to have the trophy with me. I had some chances in the fifth with (a) break up. But (it) is true that after I had the break, he played very aggressive, hitting a lot of great shots. So (it) was tough to hold the serve every time.”

Holding serve every time is what Nadal managed to do in his fifth set against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday, but the Spaniard had to save three break points in two different service games in order for his lone break of the Bulgarian to be enough. Nadal survived two deuces, as well, while serving out the semifinal match at 5-4. Speaking of five-setters, Federer also went the distance in his semifinal against Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic bowed out of the tournament in a five-set, second-round stunner against Denis Istomin.

All of it set the stage for the icing on the cake, the 35th chapter of arguably tennis’ best-ever rivalry.

“It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him,” Federer said of Nadal. “So it’s definitely very special. I said that also before the finals: if I were to win against Rafa, it would be super special and very sweet because I haven’t beaten him in a Grand Slam final for a long, long time now. Last time I guess was 2007 at Wimbledon in a five-setter. Now I was able to do it again.

“Like I said on the court, it would have been nice for both of us to win, but there’s no draws in tennis. It’s brutal sometimes.”

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97 Comments on Epic Australian Open capped off with Federer winning No. 18 over Nadal

  1. This too guys…so,discussed away!..as for me,i don’t want to think too far ahead..anything could happen for next 4,5 months..yes we can read and took solace from the good words and vibes,that rafa is still back in contention for the title but don’t hope too much until he’s in the final fighting for it okay?Read just for fun..http://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/french-open-1/2017/after-roger-federer-and-rafa-nadal-upset-odds-in-australia-who-will-win-the-french-open_sto6042586/story.shtml

  2. To all the die-hard Rafa fans here:

    Once you get over the pain of the loss, I really believe that you all should be excited for this season in terms of Rafa. No matter what way you slice it, there is no question that Rafa has successfully gotten back to high level of play. It may not be the exact level that he wants to, and believes he can be at, but considering that the season has barely started, he has a very good chance of getting to an even higher level very soon! If he is able to sustain his current level, and increase it for the bigger moments, he is absolutely a contender for nearly all the big tournaments. Considering where his level is at after only one tournament, coupled with the fact that he made the final of the first major of the season, I believe that he not only has an excellent shot at winning big titles such as Roland Garros or US Open, but he even has a shot to get back to #1 ranking! Any player who starts the season with a runner-up or a win at the Aussie Open, in my opinion, has put themself in a great position going forward in terms of getting to #1. If the Aussie Open was a total fluke for Rafa, then maybe it would be a different story. But it was NOT a fluke! He beat quality players and showed great fight in big moments. Yes, he was only three service holds away from the title, but Federer played arguably the best 5 games of his life to save break points and take that title. I really believe that Rafa is going to kill it this season. I think this could very well be the season where he finally gets Djokovic. I know the loss is very painful and raw for you guys/girls right now. But once it gets less raw, I really do believe that you be VERY excited!

    • Kevin…Thank u thank u thank u for your kind and supportive words…As for me,i just wants to take things day by day and not looking too far ahead…as we all know,things can change in a blink of an eye in tennis..let alone rafa who’s constantly get a visit from various injuries out of nowhere…although seeing his current form makes me very very excited to see what’s going to unfold for him in the next4,5 months…Hopefully it will be full of sunshine and rainbow in Rafasville!!..Woohooo!Vamos!!

    • Kevin,

      I really want to thank you for taking the time to encourage Rafa fans. It’s hard to get one’s hopes up over and over. Fans suffer along with their favorite player. We hurt, too.

      I have to believe that there are good things ahead for Rafa this year. I am sure that he thinks so, too.

      This loss hurt more because the double career slam was at stake. That was Rafa’s chance to do something that has not been done in the Open era. It would secure his legacy in this sport. I don’t know that he will get another chance at it. I do think he will get more chances to win slams.

      I think it was quite gracious of you to try to lift our spirits.
      ?

    • Mira Andi,

      Yes! Another great article to read! Again I am trying not to think too far ahead about what may lie in store for Rafa. But I certainly hope that good things are going to happen! He should get a big boost from this great result at the AO.

      Thanks again! You renew my faith in people because you have such a kind and generous heart! You only want to make others happy and treat all with respect and kindness!

      You are a breath of fresh air!
      ??♥️

      • Nny…Thank u thank u thank u for your heartwarming and generous compliments…Err..Is that me you’re described?I didn’t notice it..ha ha..but,u have no idea how happy i am that i can give u something meaningful..all i wanna do is to make u happy and forget about rafa’s loss..that’s all..i can’t bear to see u sad or unhappy…

        Btw..yeah,me too not think to far ahead about rafa..one thing we learned about rafa is that…injury can come at any moment and will ending everything…and i think the key is for him to stay healthy..if he manage to do that…i’m pretty sure,he’s going to start winning again Nny…he will have time to build his game,stamina and mental strength..the longer he can play without much trouble,the higher his confidence and self belief will be..we just have to wait with patient okay Nny?

        • Mira Andi,

          I think you are right about Rafa staying healthy and injury free. That is the key for him. Then he can keep working on his game and get more wins and rankings points. Continuing to play is crucial. Last year Rafa seemed to get back on track in the clay season. He won MC and Barcelona and seemed prone to make a run at RG. But we didn’t know that he was carrying another wrist injury. He had to withdraw from RG and was out for a few months. That effectively stopped his momentum and progress. It was a disaster. Then Rafa came back for the Olympics and tried to continue playing. But the wrist injury was aggravated and finally he made the right decision in pulling the plug on the rest of the season.

          So we have to hope and pray that Rafa can just stay healthy!

          • Hey Nny…sorry a little bit late to reply…i’m sure you’re already have lunch now…About rafa..yeah Nny..i’m very optimistic if he can stay healthy,then we can have a plenty of action from him…rafa is a natural fighter and winner Nny..he won’t settle for anything less…can u imagine Nny..last year when he still struggled with his form and lack of confidence and self belief,he can bagged MC,Barcelona and in a very very fine form in the first 2 rounds at FO?Think,what he can give us with his renewed self belief[due to his deep run at AO] and injury free physical this time?…Oh,i can’t wait to see his form and result in the coming months Nny…it’s going to be exciting to follow..

          • Mira Andi,

            You don’t have to explain if you don’t reply right away! It’s not like we are on this forum all day! Life does intrude! Sometimes I don’t see your posts until later. Also, you and I live in different time zones, so we may not be here at the same time.

            Rafa will go into the clay season much stronger than he was last year. He had something solid to build on with his result at the AO. There is nothing better than winning tough matches against challenging opponents and getting to the final of a slam!

            Rafa also has Moya by his side to work with him. It’s paying off already. Another pair of eyes, another point of view. It all helps.

            All we need to do is pray that Rafa stays healthy! Then it will all fall into place!

            See? Your good thoughts are running off on me!
            ?

          • Hey Nny!!..i know,i don’t have to explain anything to u…but..i don’t know,silly me i guess..he he..Anyway..have u got a good wednesday so far?…Bout Rafa…Nny..i just wonder IF he’s hired Moya a long before this,i mean in 2015 he can play all year long,no injuries..only bad result happened..do u think it will make much difference to his season and result?And automatically can prevent the mental injury due to the constant bad losses that he has to endured that year?What do u think?

  3. Thanks Mira and Kevin for your kind words.

    I don’t begrudge Fed for winning this, and I do feel Rafa will do better going forward. He just needs to be clutch when leading to gen off fight backs from his opponents, the way he did them in the past.

    • You’re welcome luckystar…Yeah,me too don’t have a problem with Rog win this..God!he deserved this…HE’S AWESOME that day!..And honestly,even before the match is finished i can sense that Rafa don’t have a chance to secure his 15th…Rog too ‘in zoned’ to be denied…and Rafa,as good and as improved as he is,still can’t match “The out of space Rog” that day…BUT,what makes me really really happy was that to see Rafa of old start coming back…not in full force yet..otherwise he would not surrender the 3-1 break in the 5th…but,he’s on the way!And i totally agree with u luckystar..rafa will do better going forward..That’s we can count on him!Just hope the injuries will leave him alone for at least 5,6 months..that’s all i’m ask..

    • Mira Andi,

      If you are asking me if I think it would have helped Rafa in 2015 if he had brought Moya on back then. However, for a while Moya was coaching Raonic. I don’t remember exactly when he started working with Raonic. But I do wish that Rafa and his team had done this sooner. Rafa was not injured in 2015. But he was clearly struggling in his matches. He didn’t seem to be mentally present, unable to change tactics and the will to win was not there.

      The real Rafa would never have lost to Fognini in the USO after being up two sets. Rafa had never lost a slam match after being up two sets. He was lost out there. It was hard to see him like that.

      Now I hope that Rafa can make up for lost time.

  4. Rafa has exceeded all my expectations, I thought that if he were to come back he would do it at RG but to reach the final in AO, as painful as it was to lose it, it’s a great feat.
    I think if Rafa has a chance of winning another slam it will be in Paris.
    His only chance of winning USO is to be very aggressive but it ain’t gonna happen (not to mention Wimby), I know he’s won it before but nowadays I just don’t see it happening.
    I don’t know what his plans are but I doubt very much, with his style of game, that he’ll be playing for as long as RF.

    • I think that Rafa and his team have set their sights on RG. This result at the AO will give Rafa real confidence and belief. He showed grit, fighting spirit and passion. He is once again thinking and changing tactics on the court. The war he handled the challenge of playing Zverev was brilliant. That was a match that he would not have won in the recent past. He showed that fierce will to win that has made him such a formidable foe. He had wins against tough quality opponents and this will stand him in good stead as he moves forward.

      I am really encouraged with Moya joining the team. I think we are already seeing the results of his input. It can only get better. Rafa may not have been ready to cross the finish live in the AO final, but I think he can be ready at RG.

      Vamos Rafa!

  5. Shireling hes playing now, and thats all that im concerned about, please let him do that without without all the Roger Federer comparisons, it gets rather irritating to hear that cliche ad nauseum, let the players themselves decide when they wish to retire please ….

  6. Its early in the season to draw any conclusions about players doing this or that, let them play, and we will see what unfolds, who knows what influence Moya will have on Rafas game going forwards ? ….

    • I don’t see anything wrong with speculating about what may lie ahead for Rafa. I think it’s natural. I am not going to compare Rafa with Fed. I just hope he stays healthy. That is the most important thing.

      I absolutely believe that Moya has had an influence on Rafa and his game. The espn commies were talking about he shortened Rafa’s practices. He had him doing drills with his forehand. He also studied tapes of Rafa’s opponents and then they discuss it. He is doing some things differently and I think it can only help Rafa.

      Rafa’s serve has improved greatly. He posted some of his best stats in a long time. I just believe that it has to help Rafa to have the benefit of Moya’s experience and knowledge. Anything that helps Rafa is fine with me!

    • Mira Andi,

      Thanks again for posting those links. One thing that Uncle Toni said that stood out to me, is that Rafa is more relaxed and happy on the court now. I think that is important. We know that in 2015 Rafa was not relaxed and happy on the court and it showed in his play. He was not very happy out there!

      I also think it’s interesting that they put more weight on his racket. I remember the espn commies talking about it during one of his matches. They said that they put more weight on the top part of the racket. Rafa seems to be hitting his forehand much better.

      It’s also interesting to read Uncle Toni’s thoughts on the clay season. I know that they must be focusing on that part of the season and especially, RG.

      • Hey Nny!!…How r u today?Hope it bring u satisfaction and joy so far…Yeah,rafa looks wayyyyy positive than before right?I guess when there is nothing u need to worry about,no injury and other tid bits..then it showed from within…and all rafa’s result in Melbourne helped him a lot..From now on,i think everyone will wait in dread whether they got rafa in their section of draw!And i mean EVERYONE!!he can be a spoiler!….Oh btw Nny..here it is another link..i know,we’ve already read a very similar articles repeatedly for the last week but..it’s very relie to hear another people put their faith in Rafa…I/We needs to hear that assurance over and over and over again…

        http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/01/rafael-nadal-australian-open-grand-slam-champion-atp-tennis/63865/

  7. I have learned not to cry over split milk. Of course Federer had an unfair advantage with the extra day’s rest and being 5 years older is not an excuse because i’ve never known age to be taken into consideration with regard to rest time in tennis. I am pleased that Rafa, at least, made the final. One thing that crosses my mind over the scheduling is that Rafa’s SF result may have been different had he played Dimi on Thursday, considering how close their match was. So I have no regrets. Federer won the trophy; it was a close match and someone had to lose.

    If Rafa defends MC and Rome and he stays injury free, then he should only gain points going forward. Rafa is very patient, he knows things cannot happen overnight and he won’t win everything so I’ll just relax and see what happens.

  8. I think roger federer will win another grand slam be4 the end of year.
    I hope he wins 20 grand slam’s before he retires.
    what do you guys think, can he make it?

    • Nope. He won’t be so ‘lucky’ that both Djoko and Murray were knocked out early. Just imagine he had to face Murray in the QF at AO; he would be dragged into a grinding war, even if he won in the end, he might then lost to Stan in the SF. Even if he beat Stan in five sets, I’ll bet that he would then lost to Rafa in the final. I would say he was lucky that the AO2016 Djoko didn’t turn up to play; imo that Djoko would beat this Fed more or less the same way like in 2016; that Djoko was scarily good!

      Look, Fed barely scrapped past Kei, Stan and then Rafa, you think he could do the same everywhere? Also, he was fit and fresh after six months rest, he won’t have that kind of luxury going forward, unless he takes another six months break!

      I say he won’t be winning anymore slams; I think Rafa has a better chance. Rafa didn’t have the luxury of a six months break last year to come back physically fit and fresh; he was nursing his wrist; to be able to reach the final ( maybe SF should he have to face Djoko in the SF) and barely lost in the final gives lots of positives and bode well for his 2017.

      Rafa just has to remain fit and healthy, and learns how to serve within time limit to avoid TV warnings, that way he my be able to sustain a good level throughout a match and avoids hiccups. Imo, Rafa was hard done by the AO scheduling, if not he would have won. He should have close off the Dimi match sooner to conserve energy.

      • Nah, Djoko not the same player and Murray was a question mark not used to being the hunted No. 1.

        That’s why I picked him.

        Lucky that they weren’t in top form but no surprise and given that they went down to Istomin and Micha, Fed would likely have beaten them with relative ease.

        • Hawkeye, if they could get past their respective draws, they would be playing well. You are assuming they would be playing so poorly vs Fed? And in future?

          • No, I KNEW Nole hasn’t played very well for months and only his best beats Fed.

            I KNEW Murray was an unknown staying at No. 1 with that pressure and I KNEW Fed has owned Murray for a long time.

            The FACT that both lost early only enforced what I already KNEW

          • Future is another matter. Will keep a close eye leading up to future slams.

            But mark my words, now that Nole won his Grand Slam, and Fed winning the first slam of the calendar year, you can bet the wheels are already in motion to give Fed every advantage in Paris by the French who are in love with him.

          • Doesn’t matter, I don’t believe Djoko, Murray, Rafa, and Delpo as a group won’t be able to beat him everywhere or anywhere. We shall see.

          • But that’s also what you said about Fed in Australia.

            He will likely only have to face one of those players you mentioned in any given tournament.

          • Why only one? It may be two or three, who knows? Why such doom and gloom?

            You talked about the AO but at the AO he was still fresh from his 6 months break. He also caught a break when Murray was being knocked out. Imagine he had to play Kei, then Murray, then Stan and finally Rafa or Djoko, I doubt he would win.

          • Why only one? “Luck” of the draw is why. Doom and gloom? Nah, just observation as a long term tennis fan.

            Fed caught a break only because Nole’s game is MIA and Murray feels pressure at No. 1 or (more likely) fast courts don’t suit him which is why effective S&V beat him.

            In hindsight, Fed’s win was entirely predictable. I didn’t need hindsight nor did I count on “luck” (a good prediction never should) – there was none.

            Fed wasn’t always fresh making SF or better 6 of last 8 slams played SF or better (including last five now).

            A peak Djoko stopped him in four of those and he’s not that player at the moment. Fed was injured vs Milos.

            Only change in respective players form/health will matter, but as they stand, look out. The draws, scheduling and playing conditions are entirely controllable by the business people in charge.

          • And what people, in hindsight, are now calling fresh, were using the term rusty and out of shape before the tournament began but I said Fed is renowned for playing himself into form quickly especially when so-called “luck” hands a No. 17 player two easy qualifier/wildcards in succession, a 20 yr old awestruck Rubin, and a fellow 35 yr old Melzer.

          • Fed was training hard in those five/six months, he’s not competing hard like Djoko and Murray, whom exhausted themselves fighting for YE no.1.

            We also saw what a short break could do for Rafa. Rafa had a more serious problem (wrist) than Fed’s, also he didn’t have as long a training session end of last year.

            I doubt both Djoko and Murray would continue to play such substandard tennis going forward; Murray is not no.1 for nothing. He’s also the defending champion at Wimbledon, surely he will fight to retain his crown.

            PS. I’m interested to see a Fed vs Dimi match at Wimbledon, I hope they meet there.

          • Nah, he’s supposed to meet Murray in QF and Rafa or Djoko in the final, so it’s two of them; it’s just that one of them didn’t turn up to meet him.

          • Do note that Fed had a good record at the AO, making eleven consecutive SFs until he was beaten in R3 by Seppi in 2015. Perhaps, he’s fresh physically at start of season so even though he’s past 30 he still was good enough to reach the SFs. So, with longer break, plus all the stars aligned for him to win, he finally won the AO after he won it seven years ago!

            He wasn’t always making the SFs at the other slams, esp the FO.

          • You missed my point. It’s a combination of all of those factors, none of which are luck IMO.

            Totally predictable (see my retrospective recently posted on another page).

          • You missed my point. It’s a combination of all of those factors, none of which are luck IMO as I’ve already explained.

            Going around in circles now.

            Totally predictable (see my retrospective recently posted on another page).

          • One more thing, Murray likes quicker conditions. He has won most of his titles on quicker courts – St Petersburg(2), Cincy(2), Shanghai(3), Madrid indoors, Tokyo, Beijing, Queen’s (5), Rotterdam, San Jose (2).

            He normally handles the S&V players quite well, to me this Zverev mishap was the exception, not the norm.

          • I didn’t miss your point. You believe Fed’s draw is ‘controlled’ by the people involved in the business, I don’t. I only feel the outright unfairness in the scheduling of matches, when Fed seems to always fall in the half that plays first. Of course the special treatment too, in the allocation of the courts. Even Djoko and Rafa and the current no.1 Murray have to make way for Fed.
            Poor Raonic (who?) as no.3 in the world, wasn’t even given the main court right until the QF when he had to face Rafa.

          • That’s fine. Difference of opinions is all.

            So you believe that Djoko being drawin into Fed’s half in 13 consecutive non-clay slams, a 0.01% chance of random occurrence, was mere happenstance.

            I disagree but I understand why most don’t question it.

          • Trend finally coincidentally ended after 2011 when Djoko started repeatedly beating Fed in slams LOL.

            Another mere coincidence.

  9. Please don’t underestimate R. Federer, I did these Australian open and he proved me wrong. I know he is not in his prime anymore but I think he can still win one more grand slam or two.
    I don’t think Rafa nadal can win a grand slam again because many players know how to beat him now, his style is too predictable.

    #GoR.federer

    • Don’t be silly, many players know how to beat Rafa and not Fed?? Fed had been losing to Alex Zverev, Kygrios, Thiem etc and etc. Like I said, Fed needs another six months break before he can play like this AO2017. Mind you, he will not be so fortunate not to meet either Djoko or Murray or both.

      You seemed very biased Stanley, seeing things rather one sided. Fed almost lost to a tired Rafa, and you think he can beat the rest to win another slam? Not unless the stars aligned for him again! My take.

  10. He obviously CAN. It’s more of a question of do we think he WILL. Since we’re only 1 month into the season and Federer has only played 1 tournament, I personally think it’s too soon to say whether or not he will win another one this year. There’s too much time for Novak and/or Andy to start kicking ass again. There’s too much time for Rafa to continue his progression. We also have no idea if these guys will stay not-injured, particularly Fed and Rafa. All four of the the big 4 guys are clearly capable of winning slams this year. Let’s see if they will!

  11. I’m actually very psyched to see what happens in the clay season… If Djokovic and Murray get back to close to top form, we could have a VERY interesting clay season, especially Roland Garros, where we will have a defending champion-Djokovic for the first time. It’s “mouth watering” as they say! 🙂

  12. If Roger federer had met Novak djokovic or Andy murray he would have defeated them.
    To suggest that Rafael nadal was exhausted and R. Federer wasn’t is what’s silly, R. Federer won fair and square don’t undermine his victory.
    I agree with you that he needs a little break not 6 months but between 4-6 weeks.

    • You’re his physio? How do you know he needs only 4-6 weeks and not six months? As it is, he needed six months to play this well, sans Djoko and Murray in his way. To say that IF he met Djoko or Murray he would beat them is something unproven. If they’re good enough to meet him, who can say for sure he would beat them?

      Of course Rafa was tired, after 5 hours SF and one less day of rest. Even so, he still made it to five sets, had a lead before Fed narrowly beat him. Nobody said Fed didn’t win fair and square, I didn’t say he cheated; it’s the scheduling that’s not fair. I am sure that had Rafa had the same days of rest as Fed, he would win in the end. At least without a sore shoulder he could serve better, hit with more depth etc.

      You may not be convinced, sure, but we’ll see when they next meet and in fairer conditions for both.

      • Lucky,

        Stanley likes to provoke people. It’s what he does! I think you have made some reasonable arguments on your behalf. I am inclined to see things in much the same
        way.

        Novak and Murray aren’t going anywhere. It would be foolish to write either of them off. I don’t see them both getting knocked out of tournaments again. They are not the top two players for nothing.

  13. Federer won a GS at the age of 35, so i dont its unreasonable to think that Rafa could also win another at the age of 30, anybody can beat anybody, and anybody can lose to anybody, tennis is more of a what have you done for me lately kind of sport, nobody thought Novak and Andy losing so early in a GS was going to happen but it did, think that was very rare, and i doubt going forward, it will happen again, one maybe but not both, which was a fluke, IMO Federers win at the AO was fantastic, but i think it will turn out to be the exception now, rather than the norm ….

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