Federer: From the '12 Wimbledon to the '17 Australian Open

On Sunday in the Australian Open final, Roger Federer will face Rafael Nadal for the 35th time, going in as the underdog both in seeding and in the head-to-head record. Federer has fallen to Nadal in six out of eight Grand Slam finals, but will he falter in his seventh attempt?

Federer is playing for his 18th Grand Slam title, an ATP record, with the last victory coming in 2012 at Wimbledon. How has his Grand Slam career gone since his 17th major win?

2012: Wimbledon - Champion

The last major title won by Federer thanks to a against home favorite Andy Murray (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4) was a hard-fought battle that left the victor in tears at the end. Of course, things have changed drastically with Murray becoming the world No. 1 and Federer dropping out of the Top 10. However, this major win showed that the-then 31-year-old was going to stick around.

2013: Australian Open - Semifinalist

It wasn't long before Murray came back for revenge. This was the closest Federer had come to winning another major since Wimbledon, but the Brit would not let this chance slip through his fingers. It was a four hour, five-set epic that left both players drained. The saga hinted at Murray's future success and Federer's struggle with future five-set matches.

2013: Wimbledon - Second Round

This was the first massive upset for Federer in the Grand Slams. After winning the previous year's Wimbledon, everyone expected Federer to at least make it to the second week, if not the final. Unfortunately, things took a much different turn as the then 32-year-old lost in four sets to a No. 116-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky.

It marked his earliest exit from a Grand Slam since the 2003 French Open and his first loss to a player ranked outside the Top 100 since 2005. The defeat also ended his record 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.

2014: Australian Open - Semifinalist

Perhaps a sign of things to come in 2017, the match down in Melbourne saw Federer lose to then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3. It marked the third time that he lost to Nadal in the Australian Open. Federer had yet to defeat the Spaniard Down Under.

2014: Roland Garros - Round of 16

Federer hasn't had the best luck on clay (especially when taking on Nadal), but his loss to Ernests Gulbis in five sets was especially painful. It was the earliest exit for Federer in Roland Garros since 2004 and the second time that the Latvian player has defeated him on clay.

2014: Wimbledon - Finalist

Of Federer's many matches against Novak Djokovic over the next couple of years, this one has gone down as one of the greatest matches in tennis history, at just under four hours, 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4.

The quality of the match was off the charts with both players serving incredibly well throughout. The play was very high-paced with most shots ending up being aces or only a few rallies long. At one point in the third set, Djokovic lasted over 30 minutes without hitting a single error.

2015: Australian Open - Third Round

Another incredibly early exit, this was the worst Federer had done in the Australian Open since 2001, losing to Andreas Seppi in four sets. It was also the first and still only time that Seppi got the better of the Swiss player in their now 14 total meetings.

2015: Wimbledon - Finalist

The second loss to Djokovic in Grand Slam finals since the 2012 Wimbledon, this was a more tame four set match (7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3) between the two rivals. For the third time in four years, Federer was in a Wimbledon final, but the Serbian wasn't going to let him take his crown.

Djokovic fended off two set points from Federer in the first set and took it in a lop-sided tiebreak. Federer won the second set, but the rest of the match was fairly uneventful. The Serbian was unstoppable, even against a 17-time Major champion.

2015: US Open - Finalist

The 2015 season was the first time that Federer was in a US Open final since losing to Juan Martin del Potro in 2009. Unfortunately, things weren't much different for him as Djokovic quickly showed that he wasn't slowing down. Similar to the Wimbledon final, the then-world No. 1 took control of the match quickly and defeated Federer in four sets. This match also leveled their head-to-head rivalry for the first time at 21-21.

2016: Wimbledon - Semifinalist

It was a heart-breaking defeat for Federer fans after it looked as if the Swiss would reach his third Wimbledon final in a row. With Djokovic suffering a shocking third round exit to Sam Querry, it seemed like the stars were aligned for Federer to achieve his long-coveted 18th Grand Slam title.

But Milos Raonic proved to be a tougher opponent than anyone thought. At first, Federer was on a roll, swiftly leading 2-1 in sets and well on track to take the match. However, with multiple double faults coming out of nowhere, Raonic took control and won the fourth set. In the fifth, Federer floundered, literally falling to the ground before losing the match.

Afterwards, Federer admitted that his knee was still hurting, leading to a six month hiatus before returning in 2017.

2017: Australian Open

And now, after months off and his future uncertain in the beginning of the season, Federer has defied all expectations by making it to his first Australian Open final in seven years. Only one question remains: Will he lift the Melbourne curse and finally defeat Nadal Down Under?

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