Five epic Fedal battles

#3 2009 Australian Open final

The most memorable image of the 2009 Australian open was that of Nadal consoling Federer after the latter’s defeat in the final

When Federer won the 2008 US Open, he was only one Grand Slam short of Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams. Nadal had a brilliant 2008 where he won the French Open and Wimbledon titles, became the World No. 1 and won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. Both reached the final of the 2009 Australian Open, which would be the first final between Federer and Nadal in Melbourne.

While Federer had come into the final on the back a comfortable straight set victory over Andy Roddick in the semi-finals, Nadal had to overcome compatriot Fernando Verdasco in a gruelling five-setter to reach his first Australian Open final.

The Swiss did not begin the match well as a double fault coupled with a few unforced errors gifted Nadal an early break in the very first game but he responded by breaking the Spaniard in the next game. Federer once again broke Nadal to lead 4-2 before the latter bounced back to level the scores at 5-5. Nadal then broke Federer for a third time to take the set 7-5.

The second set once again saw Nadal breaking early but Federer came back strong and broke him twice before taking the set 6-3 to level the match. The third set saw both players hold their serve as the set went to a tiebreak, which was won by Nadal 7-3. However, the Swiss did not back down and came back strong to take the fourth set 6-3 and the match to a fifth set.

The final set saw the gifted right-hander display signs of exhaustion as a few backhand errors handed Nadal an early break and he was soon trailing 2-5. The southpaw eventually broke his serve for a second time in the set to claim his first Australian Open title.

What followed the match was one of the most heartwarming moments in tennis history as Federer broke down during his runner-up speech only for Rafa to console him.