Roger Federer has captured his 18th Grand Slam championship crown after beating Rafael Nadal in 5 sets to clinch the 2017 Australian Open title.
Federer, who missed the second half of last year with a knee injury, had earlier expressed confidence that he would win and the 17th seed, won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3.
He hit 73 winners, including 20 aces, and won 76 per cent of his first service points for victory in three hours and 37 minutes.
The win marks his first Grand Slam championship victory since he beat Andy Murray for the 2012 Wimbledon title.
Federer is the first 17th seed to capture a Grand Slam championship crown since Pete Sampras, who clinched the 2002 U.S Open title in his final professional match.
The Swiss superstar is now 18-10 in major finals, while Nadal is 14-7 lifetime in finals on the biggest stages.
Nadal, who went 4/17 in break points won, committed 28 unforced errors – 29 fewer than Federer.
The Swiss, who returned this year after a six-month injury lay-off, is now 12-23 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
