Federer beats Nadal in Melbourne, claims 18th Grand Slam

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Swiss tennis star Roger Federer returned to winning form on Sunday by beating his long-time rival Rafael Nadal in a thrilling five-set final at the 2017 Australian Open in Melbourne to secure his 18th Grand Slam title.

The 35-year-old, just back after six months out due to injuries, wore his Spanish opponent down 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to claim his fifth Australian Open title.

This keeps him firmly at the top of the list of all-time men’s Grand Slam wins, ahead of Nadal and former US player Pete Sampras with 14 titles each. ‍

With Sunday's win, Federer also made history by becoming the first man to claim at least five titles at three Grand Slam tournaments.

His last Grand Slam win however dated back to 2012 in Wimbledon.

Sunday's final was an eagerly-awaited reunion between the two former world number one players, both of whom suffered injuries last season.

Neither of them believed they would see each other in the final five months ago, Federer - currently ranked 17th in the world - said after his win.

“I would have been very happy to accept a draw tonight and share it with Rafael really”, he said.

"I worked very hard to get where I am today," added Nadal. "I fight a lot, probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me today."

‍This was the ninth Grand Slam final in which Federer faced Nadal. The last one was at the 2011 French Open, ending with a victory for the Spaniard.