Cowlishaw: Why Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal in Aussie Open final is worth losing sleep over

It is as good as it gets, and I’m not just talking about tennis. It is as good as it gets, and I’m not just talking about sports.

When it comes to the sight of competitive juices flowing, when it comes to reaching down to achieve the highest heights in your craft, Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal is, yeah, absolutely as good as it gets.

For them to meet in the Australian Open final at this stage of their remarkable careers is tennis nirvana. The fact that the match starts at 2 a.m. (EST) Sunday? Hey, why do you need so much sleep on the weekend, anyway?

Federer’s 17 Grand Slam titles stand as the all-time men’s record. He hasn’t won one since Wimbledon 2012. For him to battle through injuries and against the ravages of time (at 35, he’s the oldest finalist in 39 years) is an unexpected treat for Federer fans around the world.

For Nadal to be on the other side of the net is an Australian nightmare that only Mad Max could endure. Nadal has been Federer’s nemesis, beating him in two-thirds of their matches with a crazy topspin, court coverage game that Federer rarely solves.

And Nadal has 14 Grand Slams to his credit, so a surprise victory here would bring him that much closer to Federer’s mark.

The two greatest players of this era (rivaled but not quite caught by Novak Djokovic and his 12 Grand Slam wins) could not be more dissimilar on the court. Federer is all elegance and grace and plays fast. He will want this match to be done before it hits the 3-hour mark.

Meanwhile, Nadal takes his sweet time between serves, is happy to stay at the baseline and play long points and has no real qualms with stretching the match to five hours as he did in the semifinal win over Grigor Dimitrov, the man called “Baby Fed.”

Nadal is filled with idiosyncrasies and odd mannerisms, including, of course, constantly picking his shorts out of his backside. It’s hard to catch on television, but notice how between points he goes out of his way not to step on lines on the court. It’s especially awkward when he goes to his chair on changeovers and has to wait for his opponent in order to avoid touching a line.

It’s the No. 9 seed against the No. 17 seed and yet it will capture the world’s attention in a way that No. 1 (Andy Murray) and No. 2 (Djokovic) never could. Nadal’s 6-2 record against Federer in Grand Slam finals gives the younger Spaniard an edge, but Federer has played so brilliantly and with such verve in surprising himself by reaching these finals that anything is possible.

And it’s definitely worth watching live, right through the wee hours and on into Sunday morning.