Top 10 Stories from the 2017 Australian Open

1. Fedal Final, One More Time, With a Different Ending

The last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played each other in a hard court slam final was at the 2009 Australian Open. Eight years later, they both came to Melbourne after struggling with injuries, neither favored to make the final. But they both showed what made them champions in the first place. They battled past difficult opponents, and won five-set semifinals that also made this list. They met in the final to see which one of them would complete their miracle run.

It was a memorable match. First one had the advantage, then the other. Levels of play went up and down. There were plenty of highlights. Federer got up two sets to one. Nadal pushed it to five. And then it looked like it might be 2009 redux, when Federer had faded in the fifth set. His needing a medical timeout wasn’t encouraging. Nadal broke in the first game, and, as he’d done too many times, Federer squandered multiple chances to break him back.

But then the script changed. Federer got one last break point, and converted. Six break points later, he converted again. In the last games, he played like he’d played when he was at his peak. On a second match point, he even had to deal with Hawkeye, as Nadal challenged his final winner. But it was in, and Federer had won the rematch. He extends his record total to 18 slams, and who knows whether or not this will truly be his last.

Next: Why Serena Williams Is the Greatest of All Time

The final also indicated clearly that both men are back, the Big Four/Five all present and accounted for once again. So are the Williams sisters. It looks like it’s going to be a great year in tennis.