Roger Federer defeats Rafael Nadal to clinch Australian Open title

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is overjoyed after winning the Australian Open. Pic/ AFP

Swiss ace Roger Federer showed his class as he beat Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to win the 2017 Australian Open trophy on Sunday.

This is Roger Federer's fifth Australian Open title and first Grand Slam since 2012 Wimbledon. It is also his 18th Grand Slam title.

Roger Federer was seeded 17th in the Australian Open and was playing his first tour tournament after being out for over half a year.

Also Read: The Swiss ace: 12 fun facts about Roger Federer

Roger Federer is now the first man to win three different Grand Slam titles on five occasions. At the age of 35, he is also the oldest man to clinch a Grand Slam title since Ken Rosewall did so at the 1972 Australian Open.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal each had to survive epic five-set matches in the Australian Open semi-finals against Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov respectively, but they did not disappoint.

Earlier, in their Grand Slam finals clashes, Rafael Nadal won the French Open 4 times besides the Wimbledon and Australian Open once each. Roger Federer on the other hand, has once the Wimbledon on two occasions against Nadal.