History beckons in every aspect of the juicy match-up.
It will be the nineteenth successive Grand Slam tournament won by a European man and the first time in nine years that the Australian Open has welcomed the No.1 and No.2 seeds to the final. In 2000 it was Andre Agassi, the No.1 seed who took the crown home.
The appearance also marks the seventh time Nadal and Federer go head-to-head in a Grand Slam final.
They have met 18 times before, Nadal winning in 12 encounters, including the previous four meetings, which also accounts for last year’s majestic Wimbledon final.
We have heard it everywhere; if Federer wins tonight he will equal Pete Sampras’s all-time record of 14 Grand Slam titles, putting him on the precipice of creating his own slice of history.
If Nadal wins today then he becomes the first Spanish player in the history if this tournament to take home the crown.
En-route to the final both players have won 18 sets and conceded only two and yet Nadal has spent two more hours on court than his opponent.
Again, Federer is only one French Open title short of taking his career Grand Slam but if Nadal wins tonight he, too, becomes one title short (US Open) of accomplishing the same feat.
Interestingly enough the last man to win a career Grand Slam but also a Grand Slam (all four Majors in one year) was Rod Laver in 1969.
A lot has changed in 40 years and when Nadal and Federer step on Rod Laver Arena tonight rest assured that you are witnessing history in the making.
At a lunch in honour of past legends and greats yesterday, including the four men who Laver defeated in 1969, it was inevitable that the comparisons would come up.
The main man himself, Laver, did not hesitate in singing Federer’s praises.
“I think if you look at the various eras and if you’re the class horse, the number one in your era…everybody is in the same boat but somebody just reaches that little bit higher…and I think that’s the way Federer is, he is definitely the number one player,” he said.
Few would forget the tears and joy at seeing the two men embrace, trophy in arms, after Federer beat Marcos Baghdatis in the 2006 Australian Open final.
“I’ve seen Roger quite a few times and it was unique and an honour for me to present the trophy…He’s a student of the game and the history of the game and that’s the nice thing that is within Roger himself. He enjoys the game, he loves the game, he competes hard…and I think that’s the great thing he’s brought to the game,” Laver said.
The greatest-ever Australian tennis star did not limit his praise to just Federer, insisting that there was a reason why the Swiss Maestro hadn’t yet taken his Grand Slam.
“You’ve got nine months to accomplish that (Grand Slam) and Roger is…well the only thing he hasn’t won is the French and it happens to be a guy called Rafa Nadal, is the reason why he hasn’t won one. He’s the only one that has given him a terrible time.”
True enough, the only time Federer has lost in a Grand Slam title final is against Nadal and the only time Nadal has lost in a Grand Slam title is against Federer.
“Nadal has just an uncanny ability to keep the ball in play and he’s got a lot of vicious spin on his forehand. And he has improved his serve. Volley wise he has improved that too,” Laver said.
Spain’s Andres Gimeno, who Laver beat for the Australian Open title in 1969, agreed that Nadal had come a long way.
“If Nadal is OK, is fresh, recuperated from the big match he played last night, I do believe Nadal has a big chance to beat Federer because he beat him at Wimbledon so why he can not be the winner here?”
But he conceded that Federer was going to be tough to beat on the hard court.
“Well I think that Roger has a good chance to win the title, I think he is playing very well,” he said.
Even Federer’s last full-time coach and another former Australian great, Tony Roche, didn’t shy away from displaying his admiration for the world No.2.
“At the moment he is one of the greatest players of all time and if he stays healthy and continues to win Grand Slams then he will go down as he greatest player ever.
“It’s just a matter of time before he breaks Sampras’ record and obviously what Roger would like to do is win the French. I think that if he can achieve that then he is definitely the greatest player that has ever lived,” Roche certified.
Of course having coached Federer for almost three years, Roche offered an insight into how Nadal should approach the match.
“He (Federer) just can’t get into these long baseline rallies…that’s playing right into Rafa’s hands. It gradually wears you down mentally and physically. So, Roger has got to find a way to dominate Rafa, either by dominating shorter points from the back of the court or finding a way to get in and finish the points at the net,” he said.
Federer is just the third man in tennis history to reach the final at least three times in all four Grand Slam tournaments, the other two men are Rod Laver and Ken Rosewell.
Also speaking at the lunch, Rosewell was easily drawn into all the talk about Federer.
“I think I’m lost for words in trying to say something nice about Roger because he has just been great for tennis…He’s lifted the level of men’s tennis and he’s been fantastic with retaining his desire and dedication to be the number one player in the world,” he said.
“I believe for this Australian Open he has worked hard and as I say he has the dedication, so I think he might be slightly favourite to win this title at this event,” Rosewell predicted.
And like all good legends he too offered his coaching tips.
“I think when he (Federer) is confident and playing well his topspin backhand is dangerous but if he is a little bit off it tends to drop a little bit short. And a lot of the players of today like the short bouncing, high bouncing ball and that’s right up their ally for their strong ground shots.
“I think it’s important most times for Roger to be persistent with the topspin backhand, he’s got to keep it deep,” he said.
John Newcombe, who rightly occupied his seat with the legends, said he could see an even men’s final on the horizon.
“I’m thinking that Nadal seems to be not unhappy to play against Federer’s game and Federer seems to be a little unhappy playing against Nadal’s game. If Nadal is not too tired from the semifinal…maybe he might just win the match,” he said.
“(But) this is very important for Federer to keep the fact that he is the king on hard courts,” Newcombe warned.
Regardless of who wins tonight the legends are on standby to welcome a new member into the fold.
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