Rafael Nadal : We never thought we'd be in a final together again

Nadal, who won an epic near five-hour long match against Grigor Dimitrov to reach the Australian Open final, recalled an incident from last year when Federer traveled to Spain for the opening of Nadal's tennis academy. In October Nadal had said, "Roger and I haven't forgotten how to play tennis and we are working to get back to competing at the highest level."

"That was amazing. I have said hundreds of time, but I can't stop saying thanks because it was very emotional for everybody," Nadal said after his semi-final.match against Dimitrov.

"In that moment, for sure, we never thought that we have the chance to be in a final again."

The Spaniard went on to say that his rivalry with the Swiss maestro transcended the sport as the famous rivals prepare for the final on Sunday

"People from outside our world talk about this, and that's good for our sport. The combination of two styles makes the matches really special."

The 30-year-old has won 23 of their 34 meetings, which includes six head-to-head grand slam wins to the two that Federer has been able to muster. Although the record favours the 14-time grand slam champion, Nadal said that all those wins were in the past, and Sunday's encounter would take the rivalry to new heights.

"That was a long time ago. It is a different match, a different moment for both of us. This match is completely different than what happened before. I really don't think about what happened in the past. I think the player who plays better is going to be the winner."