World No.1 Rafael Nadal has confirmed his place at the pinnacle of men’s tennis following a classic five-set victory over world No. 2 Roger Federer in the Australian Open 2009 final.

It is the third time in the last four Grand Slam events that Nadal and Federer have played the championship match, and again it was Nadal who emerged superior, winning his first Australian Open title.Roger Federer is expecting “big things” at the French Open, where his bid to win his first clay-court Grand Slam title ended in defeat to Rafael Nadal the past four years.Federer is without a title this season. He lost his only final this year, at the Australian Open, to Nadal. Then his clay-court campaign got off to an unpromising start when he was ousted in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters by his friend Stanislas Wawrinka on April 16. Newly married Federer said the loss in Monte Carlo where he had made three consecutive finals wasn't a cause for concern. He'd never previously been beaten by Wawrinka.