IN A final that will go down as one of the greatest ever, Roger Federer bested Rafael Nadal yesterday to clinch his 18th grand slam.

The pair put on a spectacle, renewing the rivalry which dominated men’s tennis for nearly a decade.

At 35, many felt Federer was past his best and the Swiss star didn’t expect to reach the fourth round, let alone the final.

However, he proved his doubters wrong and after being pushed to his limit, Federer wished he could have shared the Australian Open with Nadal. “I’m out of words,” an emotional Federer said on court afterwards.

“I’d like to congratulate Rafa on an amazing comeback.

“I’m happy for you. I would have been happy to lose too to be honest, the comeback was perfect as it was.

“Tennis is a tough sport. There are no draws but if there was going to be one tonight I would have been happy to share it with Rafa.”

Federer and Nadal produced one of the finest contests their rivalry has ever seen but it was the Swiss that prevailed, winning 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 after three hours and 38 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.

Nadal twice came back from a set down, and then led by a break in the fifth, but Federer drew on all his powers of brilliance to win one of the most unpredictable finals in recent memory.

Federer is now the first man in history to win five or more times at three different major events, and with 18 triumphs he extends his record as the most successful male player of all time.

For Nadal, this is the third time he has lost in the Australian Open final, having won here once in 2009, but the 30-year-old has made a resurgence of his own and looks ready to return to his best.

“Congratulations to Roger and all his team,” Nadal said. “I fight a lot to be where I am today. Today was a great match and probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me so I’m just gonna keep trying.

“I feel I am back at a very high level. I am gonna keep fighting for the whole season and keep trying to have this trophy with me.”