<Tr> <Th> Tournament </Th> <Td> Australian Open </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Location </Th> <Td> Melbourne, Australia </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2017 Australian Open Men's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the Men's Singles tournament at the 2017 Australian Open . It was contested between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, ranked 17th and 9th in the world respectively . It was their record ninth meeting in a Grand Slam final in their rivalry, and their 1st meeting in a Grand Slam final since the 2011 French Open . In a rematch of the 2009 Australian Open final, which Nadal won in 5 sets, Roger Federer won the duel in 5 sets, beating Nadal for the first time in a Grand Slam since the 2007 Wimbledon final . He also trailed Nadal 3--1 in the final set but won 5 games in a row to win the title . This ended a 6 - match losing streak against Nadal in Grand Slam events . Having lost all of their previous three encounters, this was the first time Federer defeated Nadal at the Australian Open and also marked Federer's first Grand Slam victory over Nadal outside the grass courts of Wimbledon . Federer extended his record of Grand Slam men's singles titles to 18, marking the third time he broke his own all - time record, after breaking the previous record of 14, held by Pete Sampras . </P> <P> Due to their storied rivalry, the advancing age of both players in their respective careers, critical speculation of this being their last Grand Slam finals contest against one another, the potential tennis history made from either victory and subsequent implications for their respective legacies, and the match's relevance towards popular and critical discussions on either Federer or Nadal being' the greatest tennis player of all time', the 2017 Australian Open men's singles finals match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, referred by the moniker' Fedal XXXV', was a' dream final' and the most highly anticipated final in not only the tournament's history, but also in tennis history, and was one of the most important sporting events ever played . </P>

Who has won the 2017 men's singles australian open tennis tournament