Rafa & Roger Resume Rivalry In Final

One of the greatest rivalries in the history of tennis will add a 35th chapter in Sunday’s Australian Open final when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer battle for the first major title of 2017. The players have won a combined 31 Grand Slam titles but Nadal last triumphed at Roland Garros in 2014 and Federer has not held a major since Wimbledon 2012. Federer is seeking to extend his all-time record-haul to 18, while Nadal is hoping to move into outright second position all time with a 15th major.

Nadal leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head series 23-11 and holds a 9-7 edge on hard courts. When the players last met more than a year ago in the 2015 final of the Swiss Indoor Basel, Federer’s three-set win elevated his record in hard-court finals against Nadal to 3-2, adding to his victories at the 2010 ATP Finals and the 2005 Miami Open. The Basel result snapped Nadal’s five-match winning streak against the Swiss.

Nadal has won all three meetings with Federer at the Australian Open, taking semi-final victories in 2014 and 2012 and their five-set epic in the 2009 final.

Here is an in-depth look at all of their previous clashes.

2015 Swiss Indoors Basel final, Basel, hard, Federer d. Nadal 63 57 63
The long wait for one of the greatest rivalries of all time to be renewed finally ended, with Federer and Nadal drawn to clash for the ATP World Tour 500 series title in Basel. It had been 21 months since they last faced off on the hard courts of the Australian Open and both competitors were eager to notch another victory in the clash of titans. After more than two hours on court, it was Federer who claimed his sixth title of the season, seventh in his hometown and 88th of his career, clawing past his rival in a high-octane affair.

Predicated on an attacking mentality, both players looked to open the court and keep rallies short throughout. After splitting the first two sets, a Nadal double fault in the third game of the decider would give Federer a break chance to claim a potentially decisive break, but the Spaniard dispelled any such notion. He would win the battle, but the Swiss would win the war, grabbing the decisive break for 5-3 and serving it out a game later after two hours and three minutes on court. The former Basel ballboy out-aced Nadal 12-0 and struck 44 total winners. He converted on three of seven break points.

2014 Australian Open semi-final, Melbourne, hard, Nadal d. Federer 76(4) 63 63
Nadal and Federer had met on the same court exactly two years ago, when Nadal prevailed in four sets before losing out to Novak Djokovic in a near-six-hour finale. As they returned to Rod Laver Arena, it was with renewed hope for Federer that he might get his first Grand Slam win over Nadal since the 2007 Wimbledon final.

With Stefan Edberg in his corner and a larger racquet head paying dividends, Federer came into the semi-finals feeling confident on the back of impressive victories over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray. With Nadal also struggling with a troublesome blister on his left palm, would this be Federer’s chance to reach his 25th major final?

In short, no. Nadal produced an awesome display, punctuated with remarkable passing shots, to which Federer had no answer. While Nadal excelled, he needed to, to combat the high level of aggression from Federer. The Swiss did not relent in coming to the net, despite often being thwarted by Nadal’s passing shots, and stepped in to hit over his backhand returns, instead of slicing them all.

But with Nadal looking to chase down Federer’s tally of 17 major titles, the Spaniard afforded Federer no mercy as he claimed the victory in two hours and 23 minutes, setting a final clash with Stanislas Wawrinka.

2013 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals semi-final, London, indoor hard, Nadal d. Federer 75 63
Federer had won all four of their previous encounters at the season finale, most recently in the 2010 title match at The O2, but Nadal defeated the six-time champion in straight sets to reach his 14th final of a remarkable year.

After three straight service breaks, Nadal closed out a hold to love with his eighth forehand winner to end the 43-minute first set. Federer, who needed to be aggressive, struck 11 winners and committed 15 unforced errors in a high-quality opener. In the second set, Federer committed a forehand error in the fifth game to give Nadal the break. Nadal tightened up his game and at 5-3, created one match point opportunity at 30/40. Federer serve and volleyed, but Nadal’s backhand return was low enough to get Federer into trouble. He hit a backhand volley long to end the 80-minute encounter.

2013 Western & Southern Open quarter-final, Cincinnati, hard, Nadal d. Federer 57 64 63
In arguably their most riveting encounter since their 2012 Australian Open semi-final, Nadal outlasted Federer after three sets of high quality tennis. The Spaniard needed five match points to close out the 32-year-old Swiss, extending his winning streak on hard courts in 2013 to 13-0 and moving one step closer to a 37th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final.

Federer executed a highly aggressive game plan early on, which included topping many backhand returns and attacking the net with authority. He would capture the first set on a late break at 5-5 30/40, but Nadal would refuse to succumb to his rival, turning the tables late in the second set. As Federer’s unforced error count rose to 44, Nadal continued to apply pressure on his serve with deep angled returns with significant pace. The World No. 3 took an immediate lead in the third set, breaking for 2-0 and holding serve from there to the finish line. In a dramatic final game, Federer rallied from 0/40 and eventually saved four match points before Nadal rifled a forehand down the line to close it out.

Nadal improved to an overall record of 21-10 against Federer with the win, ending the five-time Cincinnati champ’s bid to repeat.

Federer vs Nadal:
Matches 21-30 | Matches 11-20 | Matches 1-10