Federer vs Nadal - AO 2017 Final - A Moment to Cherish

Federer vs Nadal for Australian Open crown 2017

The first thing I did, as soon I woke up this morning around 6:30 ,was to see the match score in my mobile. It was one set each, and Nadal serving at 5-6 in second Australian open semi final. I waited till Nadal won the tiebreaker and then switched on the TV. Can't jinx it. Right? I saw him losing the 4th, flipped the channel, then switched back after he broke Dimitrov in the 5th. And then I saw him WIN. WIN to have a Federer-Nadal final. I never liked calling them 'Fedal'. I couldn't believe even after few hours - A Federer - Nadal final. Just perfect. No?

By now, everyone know the stats - 9th grand slam final, 23-11 record, 1st meeting since Basel final 17-14 slams etc. etc. But frankly, this final is not about all that, probably after the match it will again be all stats, but not right now. Right now, it is just a pure feeling of amazement. It was just a wild chance before the tournament started, a wish after the first week, a good prospect by Wednesday and a reality by Friday.

I remember the last AO final in 2009 because I wrote a post about it after the match. (Click here for the post) More than the match it was the presentation ceremony, where Federer couldn't hold his emotions any longer and said the words 'It is killing me'. It was a great match and even though I am a Nadal fan, I wrote 'May be, just may be, he will beat 'Nadal' in both French and Wimbledon and achieve everything he strived for'. Needless to mention that even though Federer did not beat Nadal, Nadal got injured and Federer went on to win both French and Wimbledon that year and completed career grand slam and passed Sampras for most slams.

That was the time when Sachin Tendulkar was still waiting for his first World Cup, Lance Armstrong was still a hero, Ronaldo was bigger than Messi, and Federer and Nadal dominated the men's tennis. Lot has changed since then especially in tennis, after winning 21 of 24 slams between 2015-2010, Nadal and Federer could only win 06 of 24 since then, and none since 2014 French Open.

I remember when all of us were either in Federer camp or Nadal, there was no middle ground, when we use to have lengthy arguments about why Federer and Nadal are better than one another, who will win most grand slams, and follow each and every match. Then slowly Federer crossed 30s and grand slams dried up, Nadal even though younger and winning FOs, became more susceptible to injuries. The conversations almost stopped, other than occasional flicker.  

For a sports fan in most sports, their hero reaching 30 is hard. You know your hero in prime will soon be a mortal, but you do not want to believe it. And slowly you see your hero become a mortal, needing to fight with opponents for a win which was a surety just a year back. And if as a fan you are also in 30s it becomes even harder, because there are no more heroes of your age. Athletes older than you are either retired, reaching that stage and athletes your age are flickering at the end of their prime.

So such a rare moment when your resurgent heroes get back to their best at the biggest stage, roasting the young guns along the way, to fight it out one more time with one another is definitely a moment to cherish. A morning post on my facebook page after Nadal's win attracted many old friends from both sides to be back with their arsenal of arguments, even for just a few days.

I am still a Nadal fan and I would love to see him win. But I am not sure if I will be upset if he doesn't anymore. I am sure it is going to be great match though.

And how can i not mention - the woman's final between Williams sisters. It's a great day to be a fan in 30s.

Nadal and Federer's on-court interviews after SF wins