Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: Tennis’ greatest rivalry will be renewed in the Australian Open final… so how do the greats match up on and off the court?

Once upon a time, the sight of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lining up against one another in a Grand Slam final was a common sight. After all, the pair have done so on eight separate occasions.

Rafael Nadal’s five-set triumph over Grigor Dimitrov on Friday sealed the first Grand Slam final between two of the game’s greatest ever players since the 2011 French Open final.

But two weeks ago you would have been hard-stretched to find a pundit who thought there would be a ninth meeting at the Rod Laver Arena court on Sunday. Against all the odds, that is exactly what we will see.

Having both spent much of the previous season struggling with injury and with Sir Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic dominating in their absence, Nadal and Federer, seeded 17th and ninth respectively, were rightly unfancied.

Their demise into the rankings abyss was almost taken as inevitable, another Grand Slam title for either all but written off. But, perhaps for the last time, we will see them face up to recreate what was once the sport’s most treasured spectacle.

So as they prepare to meet for the first time in a major tournament in two years, how does the rivalry, once the greatest in all sport, match up?

THE HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD 

Credit : Dailymail