Roger Federer has won his 18th Grand Slam title after overcoming Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old Swiss won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to claim his fifth Melbourne title and extend his lead at the top of the all-time men's major winners' list.
Federer started strongly and won the opening set but his opponent came alive in the second, 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.
In the end, Nadal was the one who cracked as Federer picked his spot, hit the ball close to the line, and Hawk Eye confirmed that the Swiss was the victor.
Federer's previous major title came at Wimbledon in 2012, while his triumph at the Rod Laver Arena was his first taste of competitive action since last July due to a knee injury.
Meanwhile Nadal, 30, remains tied in second with Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slams following his first final since 2014.
Giuseppe Labellarte
