Following today's result of the men's singles final at the Australian Open, hundreds and hundreds of praising article came up to the surface. Still, it won`t be enough to express how extraordinary Federer's win is. For Rafael Nadal, despite losing the match, the signs of some future great results are in place. It was a genuine display of greatness from both sides and the result could go either way. In the end, it was Federer who prevailed against a hard to die opponent like Rafael Nadal. For those gathered in Melbourne Park at the Rod Laver Arena, it was a moment to enjoy through every single pore of their being.
Federer and Nadal put up a complete 5 sets show
As expected, the grueling battle went through all the possible stages. Each time, Federer was in front, but a relentless Nadal always found out the resources to get himself back in the match. Nadal's style is a marathon for the opponent having long rallies under his belt. This was not a surprise, but the real shock ( in the final as well as the previous stages) came from Federer's side as the Swiss had a monstrous backhand. This particular shot used to be his weakness, but in the key moments of the final went out perfectly. Some blistering backhand shots down the line or using the cross court left Nadal with no feasible response.
The decisive set was a roller coaster.
Federer was subject to a medical time out and Nadal got himself in front by a 3-1 lead. From that point on, Federer revived his trademark serve to hit one ace after another eventually turning the table the other way around.
The 35-years-old Swiss kept the pressure high and Nadal didn`t manage to win any other game until the end handing the trophy to Federer.
Federer is back in the top 10 ATP
By winning the title in Melbourne, Federer will re-emerge inside the top 10 ATP starting from Monday. By reaching out the impossible, he's tearing down any doubt left regarding his devotion to this particular sport.
Back in 2002, Pete Sampras (seeded as no. 17 at the US Open) made a tremendous run and won his 14th Grand Slam.
It was his farewell ATP event ended with style. In Melbourne, Federer was also seeded as no. 17 when the draw came out. Coincidence or not, this might be one the inspirational sources for the Swiss during the past 2 weeks.
With 18 Grand Slams under his belt, Federer is determined to keep on playing high-quality Tennis for a while. A decent ranking also brings new opportunities and he is expected to keep the upward spiral for the upcoming months.
