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The Australian Open Final: Rafael Nadal is King of the Court
by Nadya Vlassoff
 There is an old adage that we all know that applies to all sports - In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Rafael Nadal did just that on Sunday night in Melbourne. Roger Federer, the man who was chasing history as he vied to tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 grand slam titles. But, like always, it was Nadal who he’d have to defeat and that only made the task more difficult. Forgetting the stats, the odds against, and the mounting pressures on either player, it came down to the age-old dance between Rafa and the Fedster. They could have been playing in an empty stadium, or to a packed house, but the rivalry between these two players comes down to speed, agility, determination, and grit. The crowd was only lucky enough to witness it.
Nadal won the coin toss but, like always, he elected to receive as Federer prepared to serve. It was Federer, who has established himself as one of the best players ever, who looked tight. Nadal, jumping around like a boxer, waited for each serve and attacked Federer’s backhand early, forcing Roger to go for the slice, which Nadal pounced on every time. Against any other player on the tour, Federer would have been assured of a win but with Nadal nothing is a certainty.
Federer started slow as she shanked two backhand returns. On break point for Nadal, Federer double-faulted and handed the game to his opponent. Federer, however, broke back as the second game took more than 8 minutes to play as Nadal fought off multiple break points but was unable to hold and was subsequently broken. From there it was a sizzling display that only the two best players in the world could produce. In the 11th game it was Rafael Nadal who was able to break, as he raced to retrieve a return and smacked it crosscourt for a winner. He went on to win the set 7-5.
The second set went in similar fashion but Federer regrouped and attacked Nadal’s serve, successfully breaking him after Rafael held at 3 all. He went on to take the set 6-3 with the crowd was on its feet as they could not wait for more.
 The third set belonged to Rafael Nadal, who looked tired but somehow found it in himself to keep on going. As the two exchanged games, Nadal looked to his backhand to keep himself in the match, attacking the backhand of Roger Federer over and again to draw the errors. Federer had trouble with his first serve as he continually missed his first serve attempts, something he can usually rely on. Still, Roger managed to reel off 11 aces, 4 of which came in the third set but once again it was not enough. Heading into the tiebreak, Roger Federer made too many mistakes and Rafael Nadal was there, ready to take advantage. Two errors from Federer allowed Nadal to get the mini break and he did not look back as he went on to win the tiebreak 7-3 and the set 7-6.
In the fourth set Federer regrouped and went for broke as he outplayed Nadal, spreading him across the court with excellent shot placement while cracking him on his two break point chances. Federer played his best service games of the set while bringing his win percentage on first serves to 75%. Although he had only one ace, Roger used his first serve to pressure Nadal who returned the serves wide and long. Federer ran away with the set at 6-3.
Finally, in the fifth set, with both players determined to break the other, it was Nadal who fought off fatigue to play like the champion that he is. After losing the last set and giving up successive break points, unable to convert on his own chances, Nadal found the strength from somewhere deep within and fired shot after shot at Federer who had 14 unforced errors as he tried to defend himself against the onslaught coming at him from across the net. Once again, it was the Federer backhand that Nadal attacked to force the errors to get the breaks. Federer serving at 2-5, committed two more errors, setting up match point for Nadal. The agony, clearly written on Federer’s face, was met by collective groans from the crowd since it was obvious they couldn’t believe how unsettled Federer looked.
Federer managed to save match point but Nadal was unwavering and Roger was unable to save another match point since he committed his 64th error of the match and handed victory to his biggest rival. Nadal, collapsed onto the court again, spread eagle as he soaked in his victory not only against his nemesis but also the feeling of his first slam title on a hard court. Roger Federer could only stand shell-shocked before the tears began to flow as the realization of losing his chance at winning 14 slam titles was gone. As he struggled to hold it in, Federer congratulated Nadal in his runner-up speech but he couldn’t downplay his disappointment. For Nadal, seeing his rival so divested, so distraught, seemed to pain him even more. His victory tasted slightly bittersweet but still somewhat better than the taste of the metal bite he took out of his trophy. The new king of the court, Rafael Nadal has laid claim to what is rightfully his: the world number one ranking.
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