MELBOURNE, Australia — Roger Federer, at 35, became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 45 years, defeating his longtime rival Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, on Sunday to win the Australian Open for the fifth time.
It was the unlikeliest of Federer’s 18 major victories. He arrived in Melbourne having not played in an official tournament for more than six months because of a knee injury that spoiled his 2016 season.