"Oh my God! He's won the title back at 35!"

The Open era in lawn tennis has witnessed legends of all time – be it in the men’s singles or women’s. From John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King to the very recent Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Serena Williams, Azarenka era. Grand slams have always witnessed breathtaking display of superlative tennis be it in hard court or clay courts. There is no doubt that legends of the caliber of Roger Federer have always been the biggest ambassadors of the game. Even a few weeks back, Roger Federer was a legend, who was probably contemplating on when to retire. No one even for a single moment dreamt of the Fedal (Federer vs Nadal) clash and that too in the final of Australian Open.  But another five-setter and Roger Federer finally won his 18^th Grand Slam, defeating a fighting Nadal in an epic match which will be remembered by all tennis fans in the days to come.

There is no denying the fact, that Federer was a shadow of his past before the Australian Open this year. In fact he took a long six month break to recover from his injury. Even a die-hard Federer fan expected a ‘regulation’ Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray final.  When Federer defeated his gutsy Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka and Djokovic and Murray were eliminated in earlier rounds, there was indeed a hope for a Federer-Nadal showdown in the finals. Since 2004, Roger Federer has won 12 matches in 35 head to head clashes against the gritty Spaniard.  Whether Federer could match his 18^th Grand Slam or Nadal defeating Federer yet again in the big match, was THE topic of discussion.

The first four sets in Rod Laver arena had been typical topsy-turvy, where Federer looked in control in first and third sets whereas Nadal looked his usual self with superior groundstrokes and accurate service games and topspin returns. In the fifth deciding set, Nadal looked in very much control and was leading by 2 games to 1. Federer took a medical time-out and after that, Federer simply won the game with delightful shots, making one of the biggest comebacks in the history of Grand Slams. The match never looked like it was being played between the world number 17 and the world number nine. And the last three games, Federer was at his vintage best winning the championship with teary eyes and pumping his fist in the air, giving poetic justice to his much awaited 18^th Grand slam win, a milestone in the Open era of law tennis.

Thirty five year old and a father of four, probably Roger Federer doesn’t have too much to do in his illustrious career at the topmost level, yet his presence in the court with such delightful forehand shots, pin-pointed one handed backhand and the ability to hit aces after aces, will always be cherished. His rivalry with Rafael Nadal will always be celebrated as hallmark of modern tennis where tennis is not about individual power play but a perfect blend of craft and passion.  A true gentleman as ever, an emotional Roger Federer was absolutely right in saying in post-match presentation, “Tennis is a tough sport, there are no draws. If there were, I would have been happy to accept one tonight and share it with Rafa."