Rafael Nadal sets up Roger Federer final at Australian Open after absorbing five set win over Grigor Dimitrov

Back on top: Nadal has reached his first Grand Slam final since 2014
AFP/Getty Images
James Benge27 January 2017

Rafael Nadal set up a showdown with Roger Federer in the Australian Open Final after overcoming Grigor Dimitrov in five absorbing sets.

Three years after his last Grand Slam Final Nadal will face his old foe Federer, against whom he has won six of eight at this stage, after overcoming Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4.

A near five-hour long marathon in Melbourne ended after midnight local time with both Nadal and Dimitrov still playing outstanding tennis.

But it was the Spaniard who came out on top, breaking in the ninth game of the deciding set. He seemed on course for a comfortable hold for the match as he reached 30-0 but Dimitrov's fighting spirit continued to the last, making Nadal serve for the match on three occasions before victory was secured.

Australian Open Tennis 2017 - In pictures

1/146

Both Nadal and Federer have struggled with injuries in recent years and it had been widely assumed that their time at the top of the game was at an end but they will face off for the ninth time on Sunday, a first duel at a Grand Slam final for the two since the 2011 French Open.

"For me, it’s a privilege," Nadal said of a final against Federer. "It’s a special thing for both of us to be in a major final again. After a couple of years having problems. I have been with Roger… We feel lucky."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in