Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: Australian Open 2009 Men's Singles Final

Tennis world is going to face another bone-chilling grand slam final between world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the men’s singles final of Australian Open 2009. The two arch-rivals will go face-to-face on Sunday in their bid to clinch the title of Australian Open 2009. It would be the first ever Australian Open victory for the top seed Nadal, while former no. 1 Federer can win his fourth Australian Open title, leveling Pete Sampras’s record 14 grand slam titles.

The last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each other in a grand slam final was at Wimbledon 2008 where the tennis world experienced one of the greatest ever grand slam final which Nadal won in five sets. Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in straight sets 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 in the first semi final of the tournament, while Nadal was pushed all the way by fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the five-set semi final, but still managed to win it with sheer confidence.

Tennis world is expecting another epic final between Federer and Nadal and there is little doubt that the match is going to be highly competitive with both the players willing to give every bit of effort to win the final. In terms of head to head record between the two, Nadal is ahead of Federer. In fact, Nadal defeated Federer in all four finals they faced last year including the Wimbledon and French Open finals as well as two ATP Masters Series finals. Out of 18 overall meetings, Rafael Nadal won on 12 occasions. Interestingly, Nadal and Federer has not faced each other in Australian Open yet. That means, Sunday’s final would be the first meeting between the two at Australian Open.

A final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer means something special to the tennis world around the world. So, the tennis world is now eagerly waiting for the attractive match between top two male tennis players. Rafael Nadal has been in excellent form following a great last year during which he won French Open and Wimbledon titles, and the Olympic gold medal in Beijing.

For Roger Federer, the year 2008 was not something special. In fact, he lost his domination over the tennis world and lost the no. 1 place to Rafael Nadal. However, his successful title defense in US Open 2008 was a strong answer for the critics who had already started seeing the end of Roger Federer chapter in the tennis world. Now, it is up to Federer if he can rule out all those unexpected rumors concerning his future.

Well, I think, this is going to be a hard-fought clash and I would not be amazed if Federer and Nadal can present the tennis fans with another classic grand slam final in Melbourne on Sunday at the final of Australian Open 2009. What do you think about the match?