It will be all fantasy and nostalgia today when two giants of the game of tennis meet at the Australian Open 2017. While one of them is considered to be among the greatest in the game, the other one is considered the grittiest who has defeated the former more times. Yes, Spaniard Rafael Nadal stands at a whopping 23-11 win-loss ratio against Swiss Roger Federer. However, having won 17 major titles, Federer is a man of big moments. Nadal too is not too far behind at 14 Grand Slam titles. This will be final the world did not expect but undoubtedly dreamed of. How could they expect anyway, with Federer being ranked world number 17 and Nadal at number 9? This is even more appalling because another two greats Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have recently been taking long strides to the peak of their career. But as they say, truly great sportspersons rise above the win/loss, they just enjoy the game. Looking at Federer’s butterfly-like movement and Nadal’s true grit, it is safe to say that savouring every bit of a probable last grand slam that they might have reached the final, together.

While it can be argued that Nadal and Federer had it a bit easy because both Djokovic and Murray had lost in upsets in the second and fourth rounds respectively. Yet, even though they may not be in their prime, but it is always a pleasure to see these two in action. This Australian Open final will be the first time they will meet at a Grand Slam final in the last 5 years. Both the players have come to this Grand Slam after a long hiatus, due to injuries. So, before you get prepped up to watch the final, here’s a look back at the history of the 8 Grand Slam finals which witnessed the genius of Nadal and Federer (which the former leads by 6-2):

1. 2006 French Open: Rafael Nadal- Four Sets: Nadal becomes the first man to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam Final.
Score: 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)

2. 2006 Wimbledon: Roger Federer- Four Sets: Federer took his revenge.
Score: 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3

3. 2007 French Open: Rafael Nadal- Four Sets: Nadal denies the fourth slam in the same year.
Score: 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

4. 2007 Wimbledon: Roger Federer- Five Sets: History repeated. Federer’s second revenge.
Score: 7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7‑3), 2-6, 6-2

5. 2008 French Open: Rafael Nadal- Three Sets: Nadal became the seventh man to win a Grand Slam title without dropping even one set.
Score: 6-1, 6-3, 6-0

6. 2008 Wimbledon: Rafael Nadal- Five Sets: One of the greatest match in Tennis history. Federer, who had won the Slam consecutively for 5 years, was defeated by Nadal in a match which went on for almost 5 hours.
Score: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7

7. 2009 Australian Open: Rafael Nadal- Five Sets : Nadal took his tally to five Grand Slam final wins over Federer.
Score: 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2

8. 2011 French Open: Rafael Nadal- Four Sets : Nadal defeated Federer who had ended Djokovic’s dream run of 43 unbeaten matches.
Score: 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1