The dream final is still alive.
A Grand Slam final between the 17th and 9th seeds might not normally whet the appetite of the armchair fan, but eight years after they gave us a five-set thriller in the Melbourne decider, the hope of a Federer-Nadal final remains alive.
And who wouldn’t love it? A combination of age, injury and a new breed had cast two legends of the game aside over the last few years, but even past their peak, nostalgia makes them the most absorbing rivalry the sport has seen this century.
It’ll take some huge performance for it to happen though.
- Roger Federer v Mischa Zverev
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Stanislas Wawrinka
- Rafael Nadal v Milos Raonis
- Grigor Dimitrov v David Goffin
Even if Federer gets past Andy Murray’s conqueror Mischa Zverev, he could face his fellow countryman and three-time major winner Stanislas Wawrinka in the last four.
Nadal’s task is also mighty. He has to tackle Milos Raonic, the giant Canadian, the Wimbledon finalist, the highest seed left in the tournament.
Rafael #Nadal speaks on court following his fourth-round win over Gael Monfils. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/rvw0qPGk3P
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2017
Whoever our two finalists are though, it’s a tournament that’s been blown wide open.
While Federer and Nadal have 31 Grand Slam title between them, neither have won any since Nadal’s French Open in 2014. You’d be going back as far as Wimbledon in 2012 for the last time Federer lifted a major trophy.
Of the remaining six players, only Wawrinka has a Grand Slam to his name, with just two final appearances between the other five.
This one’s well up for grabs.
