Top 5 Australian Open Greatest Men’s Singles Finals

The first Grand Slam of the year is held annually in Melbourne, Australia, marking the start of the tennis season with the Australian Open. Played at the world-renowned Rod Laver Arena, this tournament has seen countless memorable matches between some of the sport’s greatest players. Over the years, many of these epic encounters have captured the imagination of tennis fans around the world. The intensity, drama, and remarkable athleticism displayed on the court have made these matches not only iconic but also etched in the memories of tennis enthusiasts for years to come.

Let’s take a look at the five greatest Men’s Singles played at the Australian Open over the years – 

5. Mats Wilander vs Pat Cash 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 (1988)

Another year with another Swede in the finals as 1985 finalist Mats Wilander returned to the championship match in Melbourne on the newly inaugurated hard courts of Flinders Park. Both Wilanders and Cash came through all five of their matches before the semi-finals without having dropped a set.

In the Semis, it was a battle between the top four seeds as first seed Ivan Lendl took on fourth seed Cash and third seeded Wilander faced two-time defending champion Stefan Edberg. Both encounters went the distance with Cash and Wilander coming out on top. Both had been to the final before, Wilander three consecutive finals from 1983-85, and Cash once in 1987.

Cash had gained experience since then though, claiming his first Slam title at Wimbledon in 1987 having also defeated Wilander in the quarter-finals there. While Wilander took the upper hand by taking the first set, Cash roared back to go up two sets to one, one set from glory.But the Swede overturned the momentum in amazing fashion, grabbing the fourth 6-1 pushing the match into a decider. Wilander dug deep to complete the victory, his third triumph in Melbourne and fifth Slam title overall. Heartbreak and disappointment for the home crowd as Pat Cash yet again failed at the final hurdle.

It was a great game of tennis between two highly accomplished tennis players who had  unbelievable skill and talent. A fabulous battle between Wilander and Cash – a contest that most tennis fans have remembered over the years.

4.  Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev 2-6,6-7, 6-4,6-4, 7-5 (2022)

Multiple Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal won his second last major at the Australian Open making an unbelievable comeback from two-sets down against Hard-court specialist, Daniil Medvedev in one of the most memorable matches at the Rod Laver Arena. 

Nadal had made a comeback in the Australian Open after an injury lay-off and with Novak Djokovic not playing in this particular edition, he had a great chance to go the distance. However, he was massively tested in the Quarters and the Semis. Medvedev on the other hand was the stronger player having come through a tougher draw into the finals. 

To the dismay of the Rafa Brigade, Medvedev went into a two-set lead, the first set was a one-sided encounter but the second was a tight set decided in a tie-break. Down 0-40 in the first game of the third set and almost out of the match, with his back against the ball, Nadal did what only Nadal could do, he crawled his way back into the game slowly and started to dominate the points. He then conjured up a comeback that no one thought was possible. Nadal broke Medvedev in the third and the fourth sets to win both sets 6-4. The decider was a tricky affair though, with both players tiring out having played long punishing rallies, it was Medvedev who broke Nadal with the game now tied at 5-5 but Nadal went on to win the next two games to lift his second Australian Open trophy with the fans hardly believing what they had just witnessed. 

It was a gruelling 5 hours and 24 minutes encounter, testing physical as well as mental limits of both players and ended up being one of the most thrilling finals at the Rod Laver Arena. 

3. Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2 (2009)

Roger Federer was up against his nemesis Rafael Nadal who had beaten him in both Wimbledon and French Open in the previous season. However, on the back of his recent US Open title and the form Federer had shown getting into the finals beating Andy Roddick in straight sets in the semis, everyone expected him to run away with this final. Nadal on the other hand, came through a tough five-set, five-hour battle against compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semis a day ago and people believed he would be hampered by fatigue. But boy, did he prove everyone wrong!

Nadal was out of the straps, engaging in a fierce baseline battle and it was Federer’s backhand vs Nadal’s forehand. The match was punctuated with gruelling rallies, shots of the highest quality and trying to outwit each other. It was Nadal who dominated the opening exchanges in the first set. Federer wasn’t too far behind and started to grow in the game, winning the second set. The third set was a tight affair with Nadal edging it in a tie-break with Federer making a rare double fault at set-point. The game kept hanging in a balance with Federer taking the fourth set, pushing the match in a thrilling decider. However, Nadal showed great levels of fitness and athleticism, producing awe-worthy moments winning the final set and his first Australian Open title. 

Another epic encounter between the two best players in the world at that time, this 4 hours and 23 minutes long final was a Nadal master class leaving Federer clueless on how to get points off him with the Spaniard covering every inch of the court, returning impossible shots and just outclassing the Swiss Maestro. 

2.  Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal 6-4,3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 (2017)

Another fierce battle between the two famed adversaries Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. For context, Federer had not played competitively for six months due to a long injury lay-off and was ranked an astonishing 17th in the world. Nadal hadn’t been in great form the year before, not even winning the French Open at Roland Garros and ranked at a lowly 9th position in the world. However, the two champions reacted like champions and made it to the Australian Open Finals to the delight of the tennis fans all over the world. This was long overdue as the pair had not met in a final for six years, the last occasion being the Roland Garros final of 2011. Both the players had a difficult route to the finals, winning their respective Semi-finals in tiring five set battles. This was a 35th meeting between the two, making it a 9th Grand Slam final. The whole world waited with bated breath for the match and the two champions didn’t disappoint the massive turnout at the Rod Laver Arena. 

It was Federer who took the early initiative, winning the first set. But Nadal wasn’t the one to back down and he broke in the second, consolidated the break and took the second set. But that didn’t deter Federer, he stormed through the third set winning 6-1. Nadal made another comeback and took the fourth, pushing the match into a decider. With the fourth set, it looked like momentum was on Nadal’s side as he took a 3-1 lead in the fifth but Federer had other plans. He blew away Nadal, winning five straight games and taking his fifth Australian Open title adding to his mammoth 17 Grand Slam titles won so far. 

This was probably one of the most engrossing encounters between the two legends who weren’t really at the peak of their powers, had to deal with injuries and with Novak Djokovic coming out stronger but they proved that they weren’t really done yet and had enough in the tank to still challenge for the biggest trophies. 

1. Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 (2012)

This match would not just rank as the best Australian Open final but may just be the greatest   final in the history of tennis. Djokovic was coming into this final having won the last two slams of 2011 and taking the World No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal while also defeating him in both the finals. Both players had dropped just one set enroute to the semis with Djokovic meeting Andy Murray and Nadal meeting old foe Roger Federer in the Semis. 

Both came through the Semi-final challenge setting up an exciting finale. The match that then played out will go down in history as one of the most epic Slam finals ever and stands as the longest Slam final by time on-court. It wasn’t just a tennis match, it was a battle of physical fitness, athleticism, mental resolve along with tennis skills. Both Djokovic and Nadal exchanged blows, punches and counter punches until one finally gave up. Nadal won the opening set but Djokovic came back to win the next two. Nadal fought through the fourth set and won it in a tiebreaker but it was the Serbian who finally came through in the fifth. It might sound like it was another five-setter, no big deal, right but it really wasn’t.

It was a match of epic proportions, the lengthy duration of 5 hours 53 minutes was interspersed with long punishing rallies, stinging winners, awe-worthy moments and incredible mentality; one even the on-lookers would get tired while just watching. The audience in the Rod Laver Arena were treated to a once in a lifetime match, one they would surely not forget and tell tales of to their kids and grandkids. Such was the effort this match took that both players could barely manage to stand on their feet during the presentation. Both Djokovic and Nadal put their blood, sweat and tears into this final and it’s one of those rare occasions where you wish Tennis had draws as neither player deserved to lose this iconic match.