Federer Beats Nadal in Epic 5-Set Australian Final, Takes Major Step Toward GOAT Status

Roger Federer finally won his elusive 18th Grand Slam title.

And in so doing he took a major step toward solidifying his position as the GOAT in men’s tennis.

With his epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over his arch-rival Rafael Nadal, Federer won his first major title since capturing Wimbledon in 2012 and stretched his Grand Slam lead over Nadal to 18-14.

Had Nadal prevailed, the lead would have shrunk to 17-15 with the French Open looming. Nadal has won nine of his 14 majors in Paris. Now Nadal remains tied with Pete Sampras for second all-time.

“Roger Federer has solidified himself as the Greatest of All Time,” John McEnroe said on ESPN.

With the win, the 35-year-old Federer became the oldest man since Ken Rosewall in 1972 to win a major.

Federer also won the title as the father of four, as the No. 17 seed and after having taken a six-month layoff after re-aggravating a knee injury at Wimbledon last year.

“Tennis is a tough sport,” Federer said. “There’s no draws but if there was going to be one I would have been very happy to accept one tonight.”

Tears of joy for the champ #Federer #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/t048S5Spcm

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2017

“It was a great match, I think probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me,” Nadal said. “I’m just gonna keep trying. I feel that I’m back at a very high level, so I’m just going to keep fighting the whole season.

“I’ll let Roger get the trophy and I’ll see you next year,” Nadal told the crowd with a huge smile.