Top five Australian Open men’s finals: Nadal-Federer showdowns, and a Djokovic masterclass

Top five Australian Open men’s finals: Nadal-Federer showdowns, and a Djokovic masterclass

When Jannik Sinner takes on Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final, it will be the first time since Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in 2019 that the top two seeds in the men’s singles will contest the final at Melbourne Park.

Ahead of the high-octane finale, we look back at the top five most exhilarating men’s finals at the Australian Open.

Daniil Medvedev holds the unfortunate record of losing in all three of his appearances in Australian Open finals. However, the closest he came to winning was in the 2022 final against Rafael Nadal. The Russian player stormed into a two-set lead, but Nadal, who was a surprise finalist after being out for six months before the tournament with a foot injury, made a stunning comeback. He took three consecutive sets to shock Medvedev and claim his second Australian Open title.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced each other in the 2012 Australian Open final, with both having a reasonable claim to being the best player in the world at the time. The result was a marathon lasting five hours and 53 minutes — the longest Grand Slam final to date — including a remarkable 31-shot rally in the fifth set. Nadal took the first set before the Serb fought back to claim the next two. Djokovic broke in the fourth set and reached championship point, but Nadal saved it and went on to win the set in a tie-break. However, Djokovic held his composure and took the final set, celebrating a hard-earned third Australian Open title.

The stakes were high when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met in the 2009 Australian Open final. It was the first time the two had faced each other in the Rod Laver Arena, with Federer having the chance to equal the all-time Grand Slam record, while Nadal was seeking his first Australian Open title. The match featured incredibly high-quality tennis, with both players trading sets in a contest marked by long rallies and stunning shot-making, before Nadal seized the initiative in the final set to secure his first victory at the Rod Laver Arena.

Federer and Nadal met once again in the final, this time at the 2017 Australian Open. Both were nearing the latter stages of their careers and entered the tournament following injuries. Neither was particularly expected to reach the final. However, when the final arrived, the two veterans delivered another brilliant display. Once again, they exchanged the first four sets before the Swiss player secured some revenge for his 2009 defeat, claiming his fifth Australian Open title.

The rivalry between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi is one that has filled countless pages, and their meeting in the 1995 Australian Open final is one of its most significant chapters. It was the second time the two childhood rivals had faced each other in a Grand Slam final, entering the match as world number one and two respectively. Sampras took the first set — the first that Agassi had dropped in the tournament — but Agassi fought back to win the next three in a row, securing his first Australian Open title.