"It was an amazing final, an amazing moment for me in my life and it's great to be back here"
Thursday 11 January 2018 12:41, UK
Defending Australian Open champion Roger Federer says last year's epic deciding set in the final against Rafael Nadal was the "best" he has ever played.
Federer was back at the scene of his remarkable triumph 12 months ago where he defeated his nemesis Nadal in a classic encounter.
The Swiss won 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to claim his fifth Melbourne title and extend his lead at the top of the all-time men's major winners' list.
It was the start of an incredible 2017 for Federer, who went on to claim his eighth Wimbledon title and 19th Grand Slam.
But the 36-year-old rated the deciding set he won to beat Nadal in last year's final as the best of his career.
The fifth set was maybe the best set I ever played.
He said: "It was an amazing final, an amazing moment for me in my life and it's great to be back here. I had all these great five-setters and at the end the epic match against Rafa. The fifth set was maybe the best set I ever played.
"It was a huge surprise. It was the highlight of last year, beating Wimbledon and all the other tournaments I played."
