Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open final to deny Roger Federer a record-tying 14th Grand Slam tennis title and become the first player to secure majors on three surfaces since Andre Agassi.

Top-ranked Nadal beat the No. 2 seed 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2 in their latest epic lasting four hours, 23 minutes to seal his third straight Grand Slam final win against Federer and sixth career major at age 22. At that age, Federer had won two.

Nadal has spent a year dragging Federer down, ending his run of five Wimbledon titles and his record stretch atop the rankings. Nadal added his first major away from the French Open clay and Wimbledon grass to hand Federer his only defeat in nine Grand Slam finals on hard courts and leave him in tears.

“I really know how you feel right now but remember you are one of the best in history,” Nadal told Federer after receiving the trophy from 11-time Grand Slam-winner Rod Laver. “It’s always a pleasure to play with you. For me to receive the trophy from Rod Laver is a dream.”

Nadal showed mental resilience by winning 13 of Federer’s 19 break-point chances and physical strength by outlasting his opponent after playing in the longest match in tournament history in the semifinals.

‘Fantastic Final’

“My God, it’s killing me,” Federer said before breaking down in tears at the presentation ceremony. The crowd at Rod Laver Arena rose to give him a standing ovation. “Rafa, you deserve it man,” he said after returning to the podium. “You played another fantastic final.”

The final lived up to its billing as the top men’s players conjured a succession of breathtaking rallies and strained to win points that looked lost causes. After clawing his way back into the match twice, Federer hit a double fault and two errors to lose his serve in the fourth game of the deciding set.

The Swiss then pushed a forehand long on the third match point and Nadal fell on his back with arms outstretched at 12:14 a.m. local time. Federer had won 174 points to Nadal’s 173.

Federer toiled with his service, only making half of his first serves, and had 64 unforced errors to Nadal’s 41, though his aggressive style earned him 71 winners to Nadal’s 50.

“I didn’t think I served well and that was the key to the match,” Federer said. “I played a terrible fifth set.”

Winning Run

It was Nadal’s fifth win in seven Grand Slam finals against Federer and extended his supremacy to 13 wins in 19 career meetings. The first Spanish champion at the Australian Open, Nadal reached six Grand Slam titles in his 20th major -- quicker than anyone other than Bjorn Borg in the 40-year Open era.

Only three other men have secured Grand Slams on three surfaces in the same timeframe. Agassi and Mats Wilander won on grass, red clay and hard courts, while Jimmy Connors won U.S. Opens on grass, hard courts and green clay.

Nadal and Federer were contesting a final at a third different major -- the first pair to do so since Ivan Lendl and Wilander in the 1980s. Their seven finals ties the all-time record of Bill Tilden and William Johnston from 1919-25.

Their previous Grand Slam meeting was the longest final in Wimbledon history and lasted four hours, 48 minutes.

Nadal had completed his semifinal win against countryman Fernando Verdasco in five hours and 14 minutes -- a tournament record -- at 1:07 a.m. on Jan. 31, about 27 hours after Federer won his semifinal.

“It’s been an amazing two weeks,” Nadal added.

Federer won the U.S. Open in September to move within one of Pete Sampras’s all-time mark of 14 Grand Slams.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Baynes at Melbourne Park dbaynes@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 1, 2009 09:16 EST