Australian Open 2017: Five reasons why Rafael Nadal will defeat Roger Federer in the finals

*Will Nadal win his 15^th Grand Slam on Sunday?*

Sunday’s Australian Open final has pitted two of the greatest tennis players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, against each other. The last time the two had seen each other across the net in a Grand Slam championship match was nearly six years ago at Roland Garros.

And now, after all these years, tennis fans are set for a treat on Sunday.

Over the last 13 years, the duo has taken the sport to new heights. The rivalry between the two has lifted each other's game to levels never seen before in the sport. Federer, of course, has more Grand Slams than any male player in the history of the sport with 17. Nadal, on the other hand, is joint-second with 14.

Also read: Why I won't be watching the Federer vs Nadal final at the 2017 Australian Open

The showpiece final might just be one of the most important ones in recent history with both players having so much to play for. Of course, Nadal has, more often than not, emerged as the victor and here are five reasons why the Spaniard might just win his 15^th Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

#1 Superior head-to-head record

The one-sided head-to-head record is one of the main reasons why Nadal holds all the cards going into this particular match. The Spaniard has a record of 23 wins and 11 losses against Federer. Many, however, stress that Nadal has notched up most of his wins on clay, a surface on which he has dominated.

What they seem to forget is that some of the most important matches in which Nadal has won have been on a hard court. And, of course, there is the 2008 Wimbledon classic that is considered by many to be the greatest match of all time.

On clay, Nadal has a record of 12-2, but it can be argued that Federer’s approach in every match has been affected by the dominance Nadal has on the red surface.

The fact that the Spaniard has won five of the last six matches, with four of those coming on a hard court, and that he is unbeaten in all of his three matchups with Federer at the Australian Open, which includes the final in 2009, will, to a certain extent, give him a mental edge over the Swiss maestro.