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Australian Open Men’s Finals: Federer-Nadal match preview

By Harry Floyd

Aug 22, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Roger Federer (SUI) returns a shot against Andy Murray (not pictured) in the semifinals during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at the Linder Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Roger Federer (SUI) returns a shot against Andy Murray (not pictured) in the semifinals during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at the Linder Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Australian Open 2017: the men’s singles finals features two of the greatest players in the sport. Roger Federer takes on Rafael Nadal in a historic match at Melbourne Park.

The Australian Open culminates with a historic match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The two compete for glory at Melbourne Park.

Both players are previous winners at the Grand Slam, but Nadal is a slight favorite.

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Going into the finals match, let’s take a look at their career head-to-head singles matches.

Nadal has 68 percent of the wins between he and Federer, with a record of 23-11 against the Swiss tennis star. The Spaniard’s only Australian Open title also came against Federer in 2009. He is a slight favorite to win.

Numbers, however, are not entirely reliable.

Federer won the last meeting between the two players and is arguably the greatest to ever play the sport of tennis. While Nadal is among the best in men’s tennis history, Federer is seeking his fifth singles title at Melbourne Park and his 18th singles Grand Slam title.

Both Federer and Nadal are former world No. 1’s. In a year where Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are expected to reach every finals match, two veteran greats have reminded the sport of tennis that they still have what it takes to compete.

At 35-years-old, Federer is playing some of his best tennis. After an injury plagued 2016, he has returned in fine form to start his 2017 tour. Nadal is in the same boat. He also fought small lingering injuries over the past year and is hoping to start fresh this season. Stay tuned to see what happens when two of the best in tennis compete on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

Next: 10 Best Men's Players in Open Era

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