:00:38. > :00:46.The match-up Roger Rafa? One of the most watchable sportsmen on the
:00:47. > :01:01.planet. Rafa rules in Melbourne. I have a
:01:02. > :01:08.feeling that the winner of this Australian Open will be a player who
:01:09. > :01:18.never won the Grand Slam before. His magic and his racket. Not many
:01:19. > :01:21.people can hit those type of shots. Dimitrov is the champion at Queen's.
:01:22. > :01:26.It is either going to be a throwback to the past or a glimpse into the
:01:27. > :01:31.future as the former king Rafael Nadal takes on the young pretender
:01:32. > :01:38.25 your old Grigor Dimitrov. Few would have predicted this the start
:01:39. > :01:42.of the Championship hummer but this tournament has been one full of
:01:43. > :01:47.surprises and incredible stories. Dimitrov is on a ten match winning
:01:48. > :01:53.streak down under, and if that is going to continue and he will go on
:01:54. > :01:57.to take his first Grand Slam title, he will have to beat the two legends
:01:58. > :02:04.looking down on him in this corridor of former champions, Rafa and then
:02:05. > :02:06.Roger, arguably the two greatest ever. Federer is already through,
:02:07. > :02:11.can Nadal make it the dream final everyone is hoping for? Quite a
:02:12. > :02:14.welcome, and those who were in their seats early were in retreat, the
:02:15. > :02:19.tennis was scintillating from the first point. Dimitrov had a couple
:02:20. > :02:22.of break once in that first game, but Rafa held on. We join it was
:02:23. > :04:31.Dimitrov serving at 1-2 down. Vallverdu, formerly with Andy
:04:32. > :04:37.Murray, now working with Dimitrov. He has seen his man defeat three top
:04:38. > :04:39.ten players this month in Australia, and now another one being faced, and
:04:40. > :05:23.break points down. Not good enough on the approach.
:05:24. > :05:29.SUE BARKER: Nadal looking like a man who means business. Here he is
:05:30. > :05:32.serving 1-2 down in the second set. COMMENTATOR: Top quality match,
:05:33. > :05:49.this, whether it goes the distance or not.
:05:50. > :05:57.That's what Vallverdu wants. Go to the forehand, hopefully get a short
:05:58. > :06:02.ball, and then pot it down the backhand, but only go into that
:06:03. > :06:09.backhand when you feel like you can win the point on it. He is so good
:06:10. > :06:12.down the backhand side, it is an interesting tactic. A couple of
:06:13. > :06:19.points around the forehand, given the chance to get that, Nadal so
:06:20. > :06:30.far, his legs has been so good. That one was just a little bit short.
:06:31. > :06:41.That is so good, so good. Previously only ever seen Djokovic technically
:06:42. > :06:48.strong enough, and then Murray, to go to the Nadal forehand as a setup
:06:49. > :06:51.for the attack, but I think others have learned from that, and have
:06:52. > :06:58.tried to employ it. Dimitrov is doing that today. He does leave more
:06:59. > :07:03.space on that side, but he does move so well.
:07:04. > :07:11.That is interesting, and finally, to be honest, it's right.
:07:12. > :07:23.It is when you hit the ball. The clap by Vallverdu. Quite right, too.
:07:24. > :07:26.Average time between serve points, look at that. It is unacceptable. It
:07:27. > :07:52.is unacceptable from both, actually. Tends to happen in these cases. The
:07:53. > :07:56.umpire gives a warning early on, and then as the match progresses again,
:07:57. > :08:04.almost nervous about giving a second one. It is a big point here, three
:08:05. > :08:17.break points. Relentless pressure in this game from Dimitrov.
:08:18. > :08:24.And he has broken to love in the second set. Some symmetry with the
:08:25. > :08:29.first. SUE BARKER: So, Nadal is broken for
:08:30. > :08:35.the first time. There were three more breaks in the set, and Dimitrov
:08:36. > :08:40.had his chances, with four set point at 5-4, but Rafa held firm, so here
:08:41. > :08:44.is Nadal serving once again to stay in the set at 5-6.
:08:45. > :08:56.ANDREW CASTLE: For the second time, Nadal serves to stay in this second
:08:57. > :09:03.set. He has saved four set point already.
:09:04. > :09:11.These two players have played eight times, it was 7-1, but last time
:09:12. > :09:15.with Nadal struggling with that wrist injury, Dimitrov picked up his
:09:16. > :10:46.only victory, 6-2, 6-4. Hard to believe this man was ranked
:10:47. > :10:57.at number 40 in the world at one point, last year. Number 15 now. He
:10:58. > :11:13.could go to number six with a win, but he will have to get through
:11:14. > :11:20.Nadal and beat Federer to get there. Nadal has done it all before.
:11:21. > :11:21.UMPIRE: Net, first service. Dimitrov White liked his return. --
:11:22. > :11:37.quite liked. Oh, this is amazing! That first
:11:38. > :11:44.volley, you might have thought it was enough. This is the triple lock,
:11:45. > :11:51.the approach was unbelievable, the volley of the first one was good.
:11:52. > :11:54.He's like a cat out to the right, there is the approach, there is the
:11:55. > :12:05.volley, and there is the stretch, just glorious.
:12:06. > :12:25.Oh, this is wonderful. We are one set all in this Australian Open
:12:26. > :12:34.semifinal, the prize, to play Federer in Sunday's final. That was
:12:35. > :12:37.one hour. Well done to Grigor Dimitrov.
:12:38. > :12:41.SUE BARKER: The tennis gets better and better. Dimitrov levels the
:12:42. > :12:44.match at one set all, and there is nothing between them in the third
:12:45. > :12:51.set. It would be decided on a tie-break.
:12:52. > :13:10.JOHN LLOYD: Federer awaits in the final. They have only played two
:13:11. > :13:14.tie-breaks, Nadal won both of them. And it was a pivotal third set
:13:15. > :13:23.tie-break in that quarterfinal, I remember.
:13:24. > :14:55.Nadal took the two sets to one lead, it was a 9-7 break.
:14:56. > :15:02.Well set up, down that line again. He put Dimitrov out of position, and
:15:03. > :15:08.then that gorgeous forehand crosscourt. This is the winning
:15:09. > :16:03.shot, again, the backhand down the line, he gets that shot so well.
:16:04. > :16:14.Nadal clearly hadn't looked up. Greg or was in the second row in disguise
:16:15. > :16:20.waiting to pick-up that overhead. Here he is, look. We would see him
:16:21. > :16:25.in the far corner, he is over there, Nadal hasn't seen him in the far
:16:26. > :16:28.corner, he just pops up from behind the timing clock! He snuck behind
:16:29. > :17:12.the ball boy! What a return of serve. Dimitrov,
:17:13. > :17:19.quick hands, always has had. A little bit of inspiration. To go 5-2
:17:20. > :17:22.down would have been mountainous the Dimitrov to come back. Back on
:17:23. > :18:10.serve. It is just too good from Nadal,
:18:11. > :18:16.isn't it? Relentless. The kitchen sink was coming at him, he just
:18:17. > :18:21.turned it around. Sheer lung capacity as well as the racket head
:18:22. > :18:25.speed from Nadal, probing, pushing. And eventually, just too much for
:18:26. > :18:51.Dimitrov, who loses his technique. Still panting hard after that long
:18:52. > :18:56.rally, heart rate comes down now. Simply got to break one of these
:18:57. > :19:19.Nadal service points. Otherwise he is two set you back to one down.
:19:20. > :19:34.What an opportunity there. Just snatched at that ball. Inside the
:19:35. > :19:45.cervix box -- service box, just smash at that one.
:19:46. > :20:18.He just comes up the back instead of through, it was just nervous.
:20:19. > :20:29.Oh, he has just pulled it wide! Such a great rally. Attack, defence,
:20:30. > :20:33.intensity on both sides. And this one has just got a little bit of
:20:34. > :20:40.side spin on it to go with the top-spin, I think he has dragged it.
:20:41. > :21:13.Yes, wide, so set point Nadal. UMPIRE: 6-5, Nadal.
:21:14. > :21:22.CHEERING Nadal wins the third set tie-break,
:21:23. > :21:30.and an absolute corker it was. We are a step closer to a Sunday final
:21:31. > :21:36.involving Federer and Nadal. That can't be a bad thing, unless you are
:21:37. > :21:41.a big Grigor Dimitrov fan. SUE BARKER: So, Nadal just needs one
:21:42. > :21:46.more set for a place in his 21st Grand Slam final. There were no
:21:47. > :21:48.break points for either player in the fourth set, so here we are in
:21:49. > :22:23.another tie-break. JOHN LLOYD: Nadal maybe got to him a
:22:24. > :22:29.bit there, but he had plenty of time on that forehand. He got rounded
:22:30. > :22:53.well, just got the angle wrong. UMPIRE: Nadal is challenging the
:22:54. > :22:59.call on the left side. Pretty confident here, but one was
:23:00. > :23:10.out. He knew it was going past him, he didn't stop, did he?
:23:11. > :23:15.It was travelling fast. Oh, the edge.
:23:16. > :23:22.UMPIRE: Nadal has three challenges remaining.
:23:23. > :23:25.Fair enough, if he is going to do that to you. Didn't quite mean to go
:23:26. > :23:46.that close. This is hitting of the highest
:23:47. > :24:02.calibre. He has been a man over the years who
:24:03. > :24:08.has been known to see the inside of a nightclub or two, and you wonder
:24:09. > :24:11.whether he has done the training, Dimitrov, put the timing, laid the
:24:12. > :24:15.rubber down on the court, but clearly he has.
:24:16. > :24:36.Toe to toe with one of the great sluggers of the game.
:24:37. > :25:12.What a tie-break this is turning out to be.
:25:13. > :26:13.Beautiful return of serve. What length.
:26:14. > :26:23.Easy to take your eye off the ball on these high forehand volleys, just
:26:24. > :26:28.had to shuffle to his left. And make room for the racket into the open
:26:29. > :26:34.space. Reception for both men as they change ends. Worthy of this
:26:35. > :26:47.wonderful tennis match. So many times, Dimitrov could have got away.
:26:48. > :27:39.5-2, two points away from a fifth set.
:27:40. > :27:49.They have played three tie-breaks, these two, and Dimitrov hasn't won
:27:50. > :28:23.one. So quick to seize his opportunity,
:28:24. > :28:29.taking the short ball in, another high put away volley. Three set
:28:30. > :28:48.points, the first two on his own serve.
:28:49. > :28:56.First serve- volley of the match, and he does it there, at that time.
:28:57. > :29:11.Very strange there. A sitting duck after the return had
:29:12. > :29:12.set this up, but Nadal, to his credit, still had to find the
:29:13. > :29:22.target. And this time it is Dimitrov who
:29:23. > :29:27.find the target, big serve down the middle. They are going the distance
:29:28. > :29:32.for the right to play Roger Federer in Sunday's final, and who's to say
:29:33. > :29:34.Dimitrov isn't going to be the first Bulgarian into one of these Major
:29:35. > :29:39.finals. SUE BARKER: Dimitrov levels again as
:29:40. > :29:43.he bids to become the first Bulgarian player, man or woman, to
:29:44. > :29:54.reach a Grand Slam final. So, onto the decider, the fifth set, we join
:29:55. > :30:01.it at 3-3. Emitter of is currently waiting to
:30:02. > :30:05.serve at 3-3 in the fifth. -- Dimitrov is waiting. We didn't have
:30:06. > :30:15.the stopwatch on it, but that has to be a minute, doesn't it? Definitely.
:30:16. > :30:18.It is 20 seconds between points. Fine if it doesn't affect an
:30:19. > :30:24.opponent, I always say that. If it is the natural flow of the match,
:30:25. > :30:29.then fine, but Dimitrov has been noticing, and Dani Vallverdu
:30:30. > :30:31.coaching Dimitrov has been suggesting to the umpire that he put
:30:32. > :31:00.a watch on it. Nobody would question the spirit
:31:01. > :31:06.between these two sportsmen. Or that Rafah is trying to gain any sort of
:31:07. > :31:23.unfair advantage. Rules is rules. Hammering each other for
:31:24. > :31:30.four-and-a-half hours here. A second semi-final goes the distance. This
:31:31. > :31:36.is rivalling Super Saturday in 84 at the US Open with the women's final
:31:37. > :32:23.in between. Oh. He was thinking about the smash,
:32:24. > :32:31.I think. Yeah. It's that go to 30-30 serve again. Superb. Wasn't quite
:32:32. > :32:32.high enough for the Rover overhead. Watched his volley carefully, didn't
:32:33. > :32:59.he? Yes. No problem. He's working the ribs. He is looking
:33:00. > :33:05.to get around the back and get into the kidneys. Working the backhand of
:33:06. > :33:10.Dimitrov. That is where the errors are coming from. If you can really
:33:11. > :33:53.call that an error. The forehand has been awesome. Both sides have.
:33:54. > :34:02.This is just... It's unbelievable, isn't it. Four half hours after they
:34:03. > :34:10.started. The start of the match was just like this the pace has been
:34:11. > :34:51.amazing. The concentration, admirable.
:34:52. > :34:55.Strong start to the game. Good foot work from Dimitrov. Making room for
:34:56. > :35:26.his forehand. That's away. That's just gone away
:35:27. > :35:33.with the spin. Slightly reversed that forehand. Came across it. Grave
:35:34. > :36:11.danger now for Rafael Nadal. Shouldn't be missing that. He will
:36:12. > :36:16.be thinking he should not be missing that. That's a fairly
:36:17. > :36:19.straight-forward rallying ball, if there is such a thing after four
:36:20. > :36:57.hours and 40 minutes. Yes, indeed. The return was
:36:58. > :37:07.phenomenal. He got his forehand in to play. The overhead, well, it had
:37:08. > :37:12.to go away. It wasn't easy. Bent that backhand and curled it in. Then
:37:13. > :37:16.took over with the forehand. This was not an easy overhead,
:37:17. > :37:18.considering the importance of the point and the length of the match.
:37:19. > :38:11.Snapped it away. This is right up there with his 2012
:38:12. > :38:15.final, isn't it, with Djokovic. That was almost six hours of this. It was
:38:16. > :38:24.phenomenal. Another break point to save, though.
:38:25. > :38:46.Which he does. How quick was he there? Ridiculous.
:38:47. > :38:54.Break point, taken away in a flash. Brilliance from Nadal. That didn't
:38:55. > :39:23.last long. Look at those stats at the net.
:39:24. > :39:29.That's ridiculous. The game without Federer and the game without Nadal,
:39:30. > :39:30.as we've had to put up with more than we wanted, I mean this is why
:39:31. > :39:57.you miss them. Just brilliant. Nothing Dimitrov
:39:58. > :40:01.could do? No he didn't do anything wrong there. No, that was all Rafah.
:40:02. > :40:15.That was aggressive. Taking the ball on. It was the one at 30/40 that was
:40:16. > :40:25.so outrageous. That's a body blow again to Dimitrov. The first couple
:40:26. > :40:31.of points here, big. The crowd are 50/50, rightly. They just want to
:40:32. > :40:34.keep going on, don't they? No tie-break, fifth set. Australian
:40:35. > :40:52.Open, let's go! What are you going to do, five
:40:53. > :40:59.points in a row now? Yes. From break point down. He's done nothing wrong
:41:00. > :41:05.with those five points. Absolutely nothing. Just a laser beam. Outside
:41:06. > :41:42.edge, curling back in. OK, can he go again? He's wisely
:41:43. > :41:51.taking a lot of time here. He has to regroup. Put those two points out of
:41:52. > :42:15.the way. Visualise where he's going to serve this ball. Not there.
:42:16. > :42:22.Oh, I cannot believe he's missed that. Off a second serve, from
:42:23. > :42:56.Dimitrov. That's a great effort from him. Away. -- yeah.
:42:57. > :43:06.What a forehand, Dimitrov. Again and again. You think he's going to go
:43:07. > :43:10.away but, no. Couldn't get deep enough in this rally. He was trying.
:43:11. > :43:47.All credit to Dimitrov, again. Faith in that forehand.
:43:48. > :44:25.For that to go out, from that netball. That's tough.
:44:26. > :44:34.Oh! Dimitrov came in on the forehand side. Nadal punishes him and he's a
:44:35. > :44:58.game away. We thought many times with knee
:44:59. > :45:04.injuries and with his wrist and everything that he might be lost to
:45:05. > :45:11.the game. But he keeps on coming back. The Producing matches like
:45:12. > :45:17.this. Both of them have produced this. One game away for this, for a
:45:18. > :45:18.place in the fine l, against Roger Federer, who would have thought.
:45:19. > :46:42.Four points is a long way. Breaking new ground, Grigor
:46:43. > :46:45.Dimitrov. Herculean effort. Is the resistance gone? Has Nadal broken
:46:46. > :47:14.him, as he's broken so many? Hold on. Always been brilliant.
:47:15. > :47:23.Always entertaining. Always great company on and off the court. We're
:47:24. > :47:27.seeing a new Grigor Dimitrov. He's a new Dimitrov for this year.
:47:28. > :47:41.Wonderful. It's going to be a great journey.
:47:42. > :47:58.He's got it. Oh. Scampering from side to side.
:47:59. > :48:01.Still moving like it's 1-1 in the first set. Fantastic dipping
:48:02. > :48:32.forehand. That's called good. He says ace. The
:48:33. > :48:37.line judge called it out. It's corrected. Is this an ace. Wonderful
:48:38. > :48:41.change of direction. Brilliant piece of match play from Nadal. You see
:48:42. > :48:46.Dimitrov moving. That is the match play. Nadal is unreal, isn't he?
:48:47. > :48:53.That is the moment for that serve. You can't teach that.
:48:54. > :49:38.Match point. Brilliant piece of work from Rafah.
:49:39. > :49:47.Oh. Are you kidding. How deep was that lob? Hands up if you thought
:49:48. > :49:50.that an earlier ground stroke was going out? You thought it was over.
:49:51. > :49:57.Me too. One of the best matches of all-time,
:49:58. > :50:32.here. It's wide. It's been brilliant
:50:33. > :50:35.serving. It's not aces. Over 70% for the whole match, location serving,
:50:36. > :51:12.isn't it? Right place, right time. Well he was unlucky with Dimitrov
:51:13. > :51:19.with a the net in a previous came, where his forehand skipped long. He
:51:20. > :51:31.was lucky with this one where Nadal's skipped short. Yep.
:51:32. > :52:02.That serve, again. Three straight first serves to the deuce court, and
:52:03. > :52:04.he's been rewarded. Ace, missed return, missed return on that side.
:52:05. > :52:44.Third match point. It's long! Is there a challenge or
:52:45. > :52:48.no? Nadal, down. Five hours of magnificence. Both players, Dimitrov
:52:49. > :53:10.superb. Nadal unbelievable, unreal. Nadal a chance to step into the slam
:53:11. > :53:12.winner's circle on Sunday, again. He's not thinking of Sunday and a
:53:13. > :53:34.35th match with Federer now. Can you describe your emotions
:53:35. > :53:42.throughout that fifth set when you had the early chances and it was
:53:43. > :53:50.complicated at the end? Well, difficult to describe emotions. Now,
:53:51. > :53:58.first of all, I was tired, and Grigor Dimitrov was playing
:53:59. > :54:02.unbelievable. It was a great match. APPLAUSE
:54:03. > :54:08.I feel very happy now to be part of it. I enjoy it a lot. The crowd was
:54:09. > :54:14.just amazing. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
:54:15. > :54:23.Many, many thanks for that huge support. Both weeks have been
:54:24. > :54:26.unforgettable weeks for me. Just, you know, qualifying for the final
:54:27. > :54:30.in a match like this means a lot to me. You will play your great long
:54:31. > :54:36.time rival, Roger Federer, in the final. What do you expect from that
:54:37. > :54:38.one? We are all thrilled. We have seen so many amazing matches from
:54:39. > :54:44.you guys. We get a chance to experience it
:54:45. > :54:49.again. What's it like from your perspective to get to play Roger in
:54:50. > :54:55.a major final again? First of all, I hope to recover well. And then, you
:54:56. > :55:00.know, for me it's a privilege. It's a very special thing, I think for
:55:01. > :55:04.both of us, to be in the final of a Major again. Have another chance to
:55:05. > :55:08.compete against each other after a couple of years having some
:55:09. > :55:11.problems. I think both of us never thought we would be here again in
:55:12. > :55:16.the final of Australia. We feel, I think, very happy and I hope you
:55:17. > :55:20.feel happy, too. I assure you, that we all feel lucky to get a chance to
:55:21. > :55:25.see you guys doing it. Let the recovery begin. Go get some rest.
:55:26. > :55:28.You certainly have earned it. Ladies and gentlemen, he's Rafael Nadal and
:55:29. > :55:32.he's back in the final against. Rafah is through. We have the dream
:55:33. > :55:42.final. You will be able to see on Sunday on BBC Two at 1.00pm or live
:55:43. > :55:46.on 5 Live. Roger talked about his friend and rival after his
:55:47. > :55:49.semi-final victory yesterday. Rafah has presented me with the biggest
:55:50. > :55:52.challenge in the game. I think I played him too many times on clay
:55:53. > :55:57.early my career. That had something to do with the way I played him on
:55:58. > :56:01.different surfaces, too. This court allows me to play offensive. I mean,
:56:02. > :56:07.I'm probably his number one fan of Rafah. I think his game is
:56:08. > :56:12.tremendous. Incredible competitor. I'm happy we have had epic battles
:56:13. > :56:16.over the years. Of course, it would be unreal to play here I think both
:56:17. > :56:19.of us would have never thought we would be here potentially playing in
:56:20. > :56:26.the finals. I went to open his academy with him
:56:27. > :56:32.a few months back I told him - I wish we could do a charity match or
:56:33. > :56:37.something... But I was on one leg, he had the wrist injury. We were
:56:38. > :56:45.playing some mini ten in as with Junors and we were like, "this is
:56:46. > :56:51.the best we can do right now." It's special for both of us. I think I
:56:52. > :56:55.hope he has a good match tomorrow. I'm glad Roger is surprised. No-one
:56:56. > :57:00.would have predicted this final four months ago? Impossible. We thought
:57:01. > :57:05.would Roger be back after all the months in a Grand Slam final the
:57:06. > :57:09.answer robibly no. Rafah, with all his injuries, the answer, no. Here
:57:10. > :57:14.they are. Quite amazing. What about that match today, five sets, five
:57:15. > :57:17.hours of glorious tennis, wasn't it? One of the best matches I've seen.
:57:18. > :57:22.It answered a number of things. Firstly, about Rafah, that he's back
:57:23. > :57:29.and he's back to, I think, the tennis he was playing when he was
:57:30. > :57:32.dominating. He was that good. He came up against someone, Grigor
:57:33. > :57:35.Dimitrov, lieu being a the him now, OK,, this match you think he is
:57:36. > :57:41.going to win a Grand Slam. Bfrp we thought he was. He was very Brittle
:57:42. > :57:44.when it came to the Grand Slams and went away. He is not going away any
:57:45. > :57:48.more. I can't wait to see him for the rest of the year. Particularly
:57:49. > :57:53.at Wimbledon. He has it all now. It took a great Rafael Nadal to just
:57:54. > :57:56.sneak through it, and what a match. I think, Grigor Dimitrov proved a
:57:57. > :58:00.lot to himself as much as everybody else. Rafael Nadal, do they still
:58:01. > :58:04.have that match playing instinct. It's never gone, has it? The big
:58:05. > :58:10.points he played so well? The two break points in the fifth when it
:58:11. > :58:15.looked like he was going out. He went after it. Took chances. Hit two
:58:16. > :58:19.big forehands. Got the break points back and then the rest was history.
:58:20. > :58:23.He came through when it came down to it. The crunch points he played
:58:24. > :58:31.better and bigger. The big issue, the recovery. Will he be recovered
:58:32. > :58:38.from Sunday. The men's final is on Sunday. Tomorrow the Williams
:58:39. > :58:47.sisters at 1.15pm on BBC One and live on 5 Live. They have 60 Grand
:58:48. > :58:56.Slam titles between them. It's like going back in time. Goodbye.
:58:57. > :59:01.# Those days are all gone now # But one thing is true
:59:02. > :59:07.# When I look and I find # I still love you... #