MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – A Grand Slam final nearly six years in the making is just hours away at the Australian Open.
The last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal met in a major final was at the French Open in 2011, when Nadal won in four sets. Nadal holds a 23-11 edge, including semifinal wins at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2014.
Federer, with a leading 17 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, has gone further in the tournament than he ever expected after being out for six months with a left knee injury. Nadal, too, spent extended injury time on the sidelines in 2016.
The mixed doubles final will open the action at Rod Laver, with American Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal playing Sania Mirza of India and Ivan Dodig.