MELBOURNE: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will collide in a hugely anticipated Australian Open final on Sunday after both veterans beat the odds to open a new chapter in their thrilling Grand Slam rivalry.
Federer, 35, will become the oldest Grand Slam finalist in 43 years, while Nadal, 30, has defied a series of injuries to reach his first major title match since he won the 2014 French Open.
It´s a final that nobody saw coming but after the early exits of Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, the old rivals have seized their opportunity with both hands.
For Federer, it´s a chance to extend his all-time record tally of Grand Slam wins to 18, and exact a measure of revenge on his long-time nemesis.
Nadal can win his 15th Grand Slam title, closing the gap on Federer and drawing level with Pete Sampras in second place on the all-time list of major-winners.
It comes after Serena and Venus Williams, aged 35 and 36 respectively, met in the women´s final — making it the first Open-era Grand Slam tournament where all four singles finalists have been in their thirties.
Neither of the former world number ones was expected to reach the final after injuries disrupted their seasons last year and their rankings dipped, to 17 for Federer and nine for Nadal.
The unexpected reprise of one of tennis´s great rivalries will be their ninth meeting in a major final, the most between any two players in the post-1968 Open era.
Nadal has won six of their major finals, with Federer´s last victory in 2007. But the Spaniard said past results were irrelevant.
