Aussie Open fever is in the air and it’s contagious. The build-up to the year’s first slam has got me excited and I thought it appropriate to take a nostalgic look back at tournament’s recent history.
Below is my personal list of the five greatest men’s finals of the 21st century. Obviously, as with any list, this is a matter of personal preference and isn’t the definitive top five (though it’s close). These are just the battles that captured my imagination most vividly. There will be a fair amount of repetition in this lineup, with the influence of the ‘Big Three’ looming large in arguably the high point of men’s tennis history.
5. 2005: Marat Safin bt Lleyton Hewitt (1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4)
Not every classic has to be a five-set thriller. The 2005 Aussie Open was perfectly poised for a Leyton Hewitt victory. The Aussie darling was playing some of his best tennis during the centenary edition of the prestigious event (what a time to be a hometown hero). Laconic Russian Marat Safin had other ideas. The 2000 US Open champion had history in Rod Laver Arena, losing in the 2002 and 2004 finals. And things got off to a rotten start for the Russian, as Energizer Bunny Hewitt won the first set in just 23 minutes. Safin found his range with the forehand in the 2nd set and would soon level matters. Hewitt seemed to wrestle back the initiative, racing to a 4-1 lead in the 3rd. But Safin produced a comeback for the ages, reeling off the next seven games to knock the stuffing out of Rusty.
4. 2022: Rafael Nadal by Daniil Medvedev (2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5)
This was possibly Rafa’s greatest ever comeback (and he has had a few of them). Nadal, who was 35 at the time, came into the 2022 Aussie Open off the back of a six-month injury layoff. But the Spainard grew in confidence with every match and booked a meeting with Russian hothead Daniil Medvedev in the final. Reigning US Open champ Medvedev owned the baseline for the first two sets, manuovering Nadal at will with his deep, flat groundstrokes. But Nadal hung in there, knowing that his experience in five-set tussles could prove invaluable. Nadal really started to turn up the heat, flattening out some of his topspin-heavy groundstrokes. The pro-Nadal crowd started to infuriate Medvedev, leading to a few unsavoury confrontations between the Russian and Rod Laver Arena. He lost focus, attempting daft drop-shots that just fed his persecution complex. Nadal took his chance, completing one of the greatest comebacks in Aussie Open history. Moreover, the victory temporarily took him clear of Djokovic and Federer with 21 slams.
3. 2017: Roger Federer bt Rafael Nadal (6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3)
This was possibly Federer’s unlikeliest victory. To put it into context, the Swiss master hadn’t won a slam in five years leading into the 2017 Aussie Open. Nadal and Djokovic had gone beyond him and were hot on the heels of his Grand Slam tally. But Federer turned back the hands of time against eternal rival Nadal, going toe-to-toe with his great rival in a topsy-turvy five-set thriller. 17th seeded Federer needed a timeout at the start of the decisive 5th set and soon found himself down a break. But Federer dipped into some unseen reserve of greatness, breaking back before romping to an 18th Grand Slam title. The victory meant that Federer became the first man to have won five or more titles at three separate slams (a feat that even Djokovic has failed to emulate).
2. 2009: Rafael Nadal bt Roger Federer (7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2)
This five-hour epic had so much riding on it. Nadal has well and truly wormed his way into Federer’s head, thrashing him in the 2008 French Open final before snatching away his Wimbledon title and World No.1 ranking. Victory here would make him the first Spaniard- man or woman- to win the Aussie Open. By contrast, Federer knew that victory here would equal Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal won a scrappy first set before Federer responded in the 2nd, levelling matters against a physically ailing Nadal (who had gone deep in his semifinal clash with Verdasco). El Nino won a pulsating 3rd set before once again surrendering momentum in the 4th. The Spaniard wasn’t to be denied, recording his 5th successive win over Federer to cement his status as the world’s best player.
1. 2012: Novak Djokovic bt Rafael Nadal (5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5)
This is not only the greatest Aussie Open final of the 21st century, but also possibly one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in tennis history. Djokovic has called this match his best win while Rafa regarded it as his toughest match (tells you everything you need to know). Djokovic and Nadal were firmly established as the top two players in the world at this point, meeting in the previous Wimbledon and US Open finals (both won by Djokovic). This match turned into a grunt-filled rhapsody of rallying, with both players determined to break their opponent’s spirit in epic, protracted baseline exchanges. Ironman Djokovic ultimately had a little to much in a match that embodied the excesses of the ‘Big Three’ era. At 5 hours and 53 minutes, this is still the longest Grand Slam final in the Open Era.
