Nadal beats Federer in Australian open final

February 4, 2009
By Michael Omenazu
Sports writer

The combination of a small separation in geographic distance and linkage in illustrious traditions steeped in success creates historic rivalries, which transcend time. Tennis shares a similar trend as its two best players, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer consistently collide in championship finals, with Nadal latest triumphs including a victory at the Australian Open  (7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2). 

Major League Baseball constantly has the Boston Red Sox countering the New York Yankees. College football has Ohio State pitted against Michigan whereas college basketball regularly features the rivalry of North Carolina and Duke.  The epic contests between Nadal and Federer have elevated their competition into this exclusive echelon and tennis into relevance.

Fittingly, the sports’ two hottest players met in the Open Championship as the temperature of matches throughout the tournament have exceeded 140 degrees. The heat became a decisive factor, invoking fatigue and exhaustion and causing some players to retire and often necessitating controversial closures of the court roof.

The most notable instance involved another contentious competition between Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic in earlier rounds. With a hostile history that includes verbal sparring and vicious allegations of fake injuries, Roddick became the beneficiary of another Djokovic withdrawal from a major, yet lost to Federer once again.

Tournament conditions however did not slow down its top two ranked players, as they lived up to many spectators’ assumptions of automatically qualifying for the final round. Each contender came in with significant consequences on the line.

Spanish southpaw, Rafael Nadal had the opportunity to become the first of his country to win the Australian Open title and his Swiss counterpart could have tied arguably the greatest tennis player, Pete Sampras, for the most singles major titles. Also, the sports’ spot as its number one player, not in its official rankings but rather in the minds of its viewers is always a reward for the victor.

A larger-than-life finish at Wimbledon set this championship round up with high expectations. Rafael, the winner of that major, opened up strong, winning the first set.  However, Roger returned to his dominant form, taking advantage of multiple break points to run away with the second set.

The intensity of the match was felt on each serve, continued on every volley and expressed on every winner, best exemplified in the third game of the third set as they faced off at the net returning each others’ advances. Even the misses were as spectacular illustrations of sport artistry, often leaving their onlookers in complete awe.  

Impressive efforts from both athletes once again created a classic clash. Although possessing a 3-2 record on hard court, Federer suffered his 13th loss in 19 contests against Nadal, cementing the Spaniard as the premier player with victories on all kinds of surfaces.