Roger Federer’s historic win at the Australian Open prompted some cross-sport congratulations from golf’s top major winner.
Federer outlasted rival Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller Sunday to win his fifth career title in Oz. At age 35, he became the oldest man to win a tennis Grand Slam event since 1974 and the win also marked his 18th major title - a notable figure for any golf fan.
Jack Nicklaus’ 18th career major came at the 1986 Masters, and like Federer he has the most major hardware within his sport. The Golden Bear sent a message to Federer on social media shortly after the match concluded:
Congratulations @RogerFederer on Grand Slam win No. 18! As a huge fan of tennis and you, don't stop there. pic.twitter.com/PVDuEzJnI6
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) January 29, 2017
Nadal, who hasn’t won a major since 2014, remains tied with Pete Sampras with 14 career majors - the same haul as Tiger Woods, and giving golf and tennis some major symmetry when it comes to the all-time leaderboard.
