Roger Federer and Pete Sampras agree: the Swiss star's Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal on Sunday could be one for the ages. “The stage is set, basically, for a great match,” Federer said Saturday. It will be the first time the two top-ranked men have played a Grand Slam final on hard courts - their six previous have been on either grass at Wimbledon or clay at the French Open. A Federer win would give him his record-equaling 14th Grand Slam singles title, and the guy whose record he'd tie - Sampras - thinks it's a toss-up. “It's going to be a great match to see these two guys battle on a surface that I haven't seen them play much over the years,” Sampras said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I've seen them on clay and on grass. But to see them on a hard court is a pick-'em match. I think it's great for the game. “Roger is a slight favorite. I think Rafa had a pretty tough (semifinal) match ... so I think 60-40 for Roger, but Nadal's an animal. This guy, he won't quit.” Sampras didn't underestimate the toughness of No. 1 Nadal's previous match. The Spaniard needed a tournament-record 5 hours, 14 minutes to beat fellow left-hander Fernando Verdasco in a five-set semifinal on Friday, while Federer beat American Andy Roddick in three sets on Thursday. Federer saw parts of the lengthy affair. “I was practicing at the beginning of the match,” Federer said. “It took a while, so I went for dinner and saw the end. It was really exciting. It was an unbelievable match.” Federer will end up having about 2 days and 21 hours to get ready for the final, and Nadal about 1 day and 18 hours. “For sure it will be a little bit tough, Roger has a bit of an advantage over me,” Nadal said. “He's resting right now and for sure he has two days off and one match of only three sets, so at the moment he's for sure the favorite.” Not in head-to-head matches, though. Nadal, who overtook Federer for the No. 1 ranking in August, has a 12-6 career edge over the Swiss star, including the last four times they've met. And a 4-2 edge in Grand Slam finals. “Starting the year well at the Australian Open, winning maybe potentially your first French, getting Wimbledon back after the epic I had with Rafa there, and then winning my sixth at the US Open,” Federer replies confidently when asked about his goals for 2009. “That's kind of what's in my mind.” Nadal is looking forward to having his first crack at Federer on hard courts. “It's always special to play Federer in any match,” he said. “Another Grand Slam final is exciting, and here in Australia, the first one.”
