Looking back at the last 5 male players to have lifted the Australian Open title

#1 Marat Safin (2005)

Marat Safin

Marat Safin is the fifth different player to have triumphed at the Australian Open in the last 15 years of the tournament. The Russian did so by beating local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 final, having saved a match point against defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set semifinal win.

In the process of winning his second Grand Slam title, Safin became the first player from his country to win the Australian Open since Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999.

It was Hewitt who started the stronger in the 2005 title match, streaking to a one set lead for the loss of just one game. The Australian was within just two sets of becoming the first home-grown winner at the tournament since Mark Edmondson's 1976 triumph.

Despite Safin restoring parity at a set apiece, Hewitt looked to be the one in the ascendancy at 4-1 up in the third. But the Aussie unraveled spectacularly as Safin won seven consecutive games to close out a four-set win.