Spanish World Number One, Rafael Nadal, takes on Roger Federer in the 2009 Australian Open Men’s Singles Final.  For Federer, the match is a chance to win his fourth Australian Open title and tie Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.  On the other side of the net, Nadal will be aiming to win his first Australian Open title and sixth Grand Slam title.  Rafa leads their rivalry with twelve wins in eighteen matches.  Federer and Nadal have not played each other since their epic Wimbledon final in 2008 (won by Nadal in five sets) and have never played at the Australian Open.  We present our analysis of the players below:

                         Rafael Nadal                           Roger Federer

Form                 Solid throughout tournament     Impressive except one match

Fitness              LONG, late five set semi            Seems fit and ready

Experience        First time in Oz Open final         Won three times

Pressure            Seeking hard court Slam            Trying to tie Sampras

Intangible          Can he recover from semis?        Desire to regain Number One spot