Federer & Nadal Turn Back Time Down Under

It was apparently retro night at the Australian Open this weekend, as two longtime rivals improbably hooked up in yet another majors final.

Roger Federer, who had missed the previous six months of competitive action nursing a knee injury, somehow advanced to the final as the 17-seed to beat his old nemesis Rafael Nadal in a five-set magnum opus.

Things like this simply don't happen, but it appears logic and reason are not applicable here.

The odds of these two dudes hooking up in another Slam final are too absurd to even consider.

But it did in fact happen.

And it was spectacular.

A little perspective may be in order here.

• Roger Federer is 35 years of age.
• Because of the grueling nature of the game, tennis players don't exactly age gracefully.
• As a result, 30-somethings don't win Grand Slam championships all that often.

In fact, Federer is now the second-oldest dude to ever do so in the Open Era.

And let's not forget about Rafa.

• The Spaniard's 30 years old.
• He's experienced a variety of ailments since winning the 2014 French Open.
• He was seeded 9th here, but somehow was able to conjure up some of the old stuff to make the final.

Nadal played well enough to win, but his ageless rival is simply more Swiss machine than man.

Check out the epic fifth-set rally these two old dudes tore off:

That's 26 shots.

By the way, this is the first time Federer has bested Nadal in a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2007.

They really should do this more often.