Roger Federer raised his profile in the annals of tennis when he defeated Rafael Nadal 6-4; 3-6; 6-1; 3-6; 6-3 to win his fifth Australian Open and 18th grand slam title. In a battle of the old brigade, the outcome of the encounter could not be predicted, considering that Nadal had an edge of 23/11 record in their preceding career meetings.
Nadal held his serve in the first game of the second set and broke Federer to lead 2-0-. In the third game, the Spaniard faced two break points and needed a second advantage point to hold for a 3-0 lead. Serving to register on scoreboard, Federer lost the first three points, gained two but lost the game when he hit a forehand shot over the baseline.
Federer reduced the score when he took Nadal’s serve in the fifth game and hung in to win a long rally, and despite a double fault, he won the sixth game. Serving with new balls, Nadal did not drop a point in taking the seventh game. Two games later, Nadal won his service game and the set 6-3.