NADAL JOINS FEDERER IN AUSSIE FINAL
Rafael Nadal survives Dimitrov, to arrange finals showdown with old rival Federer Serena Williams to face sister Venus in the women’s division final
Rafael Nadal has fended off Grigor Dimitrov in five long sets to set up a vintage title match against Roger Federer at the Australian Open, where every singles finalist is aged 30 or over.
Nadal completed the 30-plus finals quartet Friday night when he repelled Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4 in the energy-sapping, 4-hour, 56-minute semifinal.
Federer, 35, and the Williams sisters — 36-year-old Venus and 35-year-old Serena — had clinched their spots in the finals on Throwback Thursday.
With Federer and Nadal both returning from injuries, and neither having won a major since mid-2014, a ninth Grand Slam final between two of the previously most dominant men in the sport was considered an extreme long shot at Melbourne Park.
Nadal, returning from a couple of months off to rest his injured left wrist after an up-anddown 2016 that started with a shocking first-round exit in Australia, was ranked No. 9.
Federer, off for six months with an injured left knee, was ranked No. 17.
Together, they’ve won 31 Grand Slam titles. On Sunday, Federer will be aiming to extend his men’s record to 18. Nadal will be hoping to cut the gap and move into outright second on the all-time list by winning his 15th.
Federer loves tennis, and most likely would have been watching Friday night’s match at some point as a spectacle. Nadal had to endure it. “Grigor was playing unbelievable. It was a great match. I feel very happy to be part of it, I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “To qualify for the final in a match like this means a lot to me.”