Nadal beats Federer to win Australian Open
Rafael Nadal claimed his first Australian Open title and denied Roger Federer his 14th grand slam title after another epic five-set victory, 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 in Melbourne on Sunday.
As expected, it proved a titanic struggle between the two leading players in world tennis, who were meeting for the first time since Nadal took Federer’s Wimbledon title last July in another five-set classic.
Nadal, who played the longest match in Australian Open history to beat Fernando Verdasco in his semifinal, was expected to show signs of tiredness, but it was Federer who wilted in the decider.
He dropped his service as Nadal led 4-1 and faltered again when serving at 2-5 down, saving three match points but eventually succumbing as he hit a forehand long.
It left Nadal the winner after four hours 23 minutes of seesaw action to claim his sixth grand slam title and cement his position as world number one.
