Internet Desk: Spanish legend Rafael Nadal reached his first Grand Slam final since 2011 with a sensational 6-3 5-7 7-6 6-7 6-4 triumph over Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner, who has been troubled by injuries in recent years, played a superbly combative game as Dimitrov showed tremendous tenacity and fighting spirit right till the end.
The Spaniard, 30, will now meet meet Roger Federer in Sunday’s final. Roger Federer & Rafa Nadal have not faced each other in a Grand Slam final in six years. Their great rivalry reignites on Sunday.
Nadal is attempting to become the first man in the Open era – and only the third man in history after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver – to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice.
“It was a fantastic match. Very emotional,” said Nadal. “I think Grigor played great. I played great. So was a great quality of tennis tonight. For me, it is amazing to be through to a final of a Grand Slam again here in Australia at the start of the year. Means a lot to me. I feel the love of the people here. They give me a lot of positive energy.
“I feel very happy to be part of this match. There was a moment in the fifth set that for sure I wanted to win. I said to myself, ‘I am giving my best, I am playing very well. If I lose, that’s it. Grigor deserves it, too.’ I think both of us deserved to be in that final. It was a great fight. Finally was me. I feel lucky. I am very happy for that.”
Sunday evening on Rod Laver Arena will mark the first Nadal-Federer contest since the 2015 Basel final and their 35th battle overall. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-11, winning five of their past six meetings. It will be the first time since the 2011 Roland Garros final, which Nadal won, that they have contested a Grand Slam championship.
It was a final few would have predicted at the start of the tournament, with Federer making his return to tour-level action after missing the final six months of 2016 due to injury, and Nadal having endured his own challenges due to injury and lack of form last season.
“It’s special to play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam,” said Nadal. “I cannot lie. It’s great. It’s exciting for me and for both of us that we are still there and we are still fighting for important events. So that’s important for us, I think. That’s very special.”
But Nadal has been back to close to his best as he powered through the bottom half of the draw, battling past NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev in five sets in the fourth round, before taking care of Gael Monfils and Milos Raonic for the loss of just one set to reach the semi-finals.
His toughest test yet came in the form of Dimitrov, who opened 2017 on a 10-match winning streak, having captured his fifth ATP World Tour title in Brisbane (d. Nishikori), before taking advantage of Novak Djokovic’s exit to surge through his section of the draw.
Dimitrov was bidding to capitalise on his strong run of form and improved mental fortitude to reach his first Grand Slam final. He pushed Nadal all the way in an exhilarating four-hour, 56-minute contest, in what John McEnroe – commentating for Eurosport – described as the “match of his life”.