Records further tumble as Federer beats Nadal to secure his 5th Australian Open title

Roger Federer beats arch-rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to secure his 5th Australian Open title and his first since 2010.

The epic final between the two greatest players in Tennis history was a battle of finesse, artistic play and power play as both players fought end to end.

Federer started strongly and won the opening set but his opponent came alive in the second set, storming into a 4-0 lead before levelling the match.

Nadal, however, found himself down again after Federer raised his game, but the Spaniard – who had beaten his rival 23 times before – soon levelled proceedings once again and set up a decider.

Federer went on to take a medical time-out before the fifth set, in which both men continued to give it their all and remained evenly matched in a pulsating encounter.