Roger Federer said winning an 18th grand slam and extending his lead at the top of the list of most prolific major winners was a long way from being the most satisfying thing about winning his fifth Australian Open title on Sunday, Reuters reported. The Swiss master, who did not play for six months following Wimbledon last year after undergoing knee surgery, made a triumphant return in Australia and, seeded a lowly 17th, claimed his first grand slam title for 4 1/2 years after a five-set epic against Rafa Nadal. The 18th slam edged him further ahead of Nadal and Pete Sampras, who share second place on the list of major winners with 14, and gave more grist to those who argue that Federer is the greatest player of all time. "That's the smallest part, to be honest," the 35-year-old told a packed news conference more than two hours after his victory. "For me it's all about the comeback, about an epic match with Rafa again. Doing it here in Australia ... that I can still do it at my age after not having won a slam for almost five years. "That's what I see. The last problem is the slam count. Honestly, it doesn't matter." The win was his first against Nadal in Melbourne and snapped a six-game losing streak against the Spaniard at grand slams, with his last major win over his rival coming in the 2007 Wimbledon final. "We go furthest back, you know," he said of his rivalry with Nadal. "Rafa definitely has been very particular in my career. I think he made me a better player. The way his game stacks up with me, it's a tricky one. It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him. So it's definitely very special. "I haven't beaten him in a grand slam final for a long, long time now. Now I was able to do it again."
