What year are we in, again? 

Rafael Nadal set up an Australian Open final against his great rival Roger Federer to turn the clock back for tennis fans. Nadal edged out Grigor Dimitrov in a classic five-set semi-final which stretched for nearly five hours on Friday.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion pulled off one of his toughest victories in denying Bulgaria’s Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in four hours and 56 minutes in front of a rocking Rod Laver Arena crowd.

“It’s special to play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam. I cannot lie, it’s great,” said Nadal, after setting up his ninth major final against his old rival.

“It’s exciting for me and for both of us that we are still there and we still fighting for important events. So that’s important for us, I think. I hope to be ready to compete well again. I need to go back to the hotel, to rest well, and to recover from now.”

Nadal, who downed Federer in the 2009 final, is now into his fourth Australian Open decider and his 21st Grand Slam title match. He leads Federer leads 6-2 in their major finals. This will be their 35th overall meeting.

The world is waiting with bated breath as #Fedal35 will unfold on Sunday.

And the best of all:

With AFP inputs