Ivan Lendl (1990 and 1991 Australian Open champion)
“Rafa just looks strong, very strong. He has been aggressive but it’s one thing to do it at 6-1, 5-2, and another to do it at 4-4, 30-40, so we will learn much more about it tomorrow.”
Kim Clijsters (2011 Australian Open champion)
“I think the tennis Rafa showed against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas was incredible. I’ve seen him focused like this and really intense, but his tennis was incredible. So I’m curious to see if now he’s playing Novak he can keep that intensity. They know each other so well and Novak knows how to take a situation like this. To me it’s 50-50. It could go a lot of different ways but there’s not a clear path.”
Pat Cash (1987 Wimbledon champion)
"If you're going recent history, you've got to say Novak. I'm not convinced that will be the case. I think the only thing that pushes that to me is the fact Rafa hasn't had a lot of matches, which is kind of good when you're coming back from ankle surgery, but you also need some fitness. He hasn't really been tested. Four, five hours against Novak, it's a big ask. But I know one player who raises his level when he has to is Rafa. He's phenomenal at doing that. And he loves a challenge."
Rod Laver (only man to win two calendar-year Grand Slams)
“It could be pretty long. I think Nadal and Djokovic have proved they’re the best two players on the planet. It’s amazing to see. Both played beautifully in the semis. It’s going to be a close tussle. I’m leaning towards Nadal - but for no particular reason.”
Martina Navratilova (1981, 1983 and 1985 Australian Open champion)
“The guys match up so well against each other. They find openings against other people, but they have a hard time finding openings against each other because they defend the backhand so well. I think it’ll come down to somebody playing the big points a little better, taking advantage of the break points. It’ll come down to defending the second serve and break points. You see those numbers and you’ll find the winner. I give Rafa the slight edge.”
Alex Corretja (former world No 2 and former coach to Andy Murray)
“It’s very open. This is the best tennis I’ve seen Rafa playing this way on a hard court. He’s very aggressive, he’s moving well, he’s changing the direction with his forehand, he’s serving better and he’s returning from closer to the baseline, especially on second serve. I think he’s playing beautiful tennis. Novak has been raising his game when he needed to in this tournament. His semi-final was a real statement. It was as if he was saying: ‘Rafa’s been playing very well, but I’m ready for the battle.’ I think Rafa has played a little better over the whole tournament, but I think Novak raised his level [in the semi-finals] to the point where Rafa will have to be at his best to beat him. I think it’s 50-50.”
Thomas Johansson (2002 Australian Open champion)
“If you look at their results on the way to the final, Rafa has not been tested yet. I think the match between Novak and Medvedev was a very, very high level, so I think that’s good for Novak. I think the key shot for Rafa is the forehand down the line, because if he works Novak too much on the backhand side, it’s going to be tough for him. But his forehand down the line has been working very well here.”
Jonas Bjorkman (former world No 4 and coach of Andy Murray)
“Rafa’s been very aggressive, taking the ball a little earlier than in the past. He’s been serving well. You’re surprised he’s playing that well but then not because every time he’s been coming back from an injury, he is very sharp. It’s going to be a phenomenal match. The match at Wimbledon last year was an epic. I think we can expect something like that again.”
