This weekend there is the prospect of two equally enthralling finals at the Australian Open.
Both contests for the men’s and the women’s prize carry so many permutations for the victor, as Caroline Wozniacki meets current world number one Simona Halep whilst defending champion Roger Federer takes on Croatian Marin Cilic.
Wozniacki and Halep have been ranked amongst the world’s best for a number of years but neither player has tasted success at a Grand Slam.
Whilst each of them now has another opportunity to end that hoodoo the winner will also receive an added incentive of being crowned the new world number one.
There is a rather different match up in the men’s competition with Federer bidding to win a 20th Grand Slam crown against Cilic, who has reached just his second major final since turning professional 13 years ago.
After a six-month break there were many who thought Federer would struggle to reach the latter stages in Melbourne last year. However the then 36-year-old rolled back the years, looking imperious on route to the final before overpowering arch rival Rafael Nadal in a pulsating five-set thriller.
Fast forward a year and the Swiss player has continued to look razor sharp on court, playing with supreme composure and totally unfazed by the pressure of coming into the tournament as defending champion.
Mental resilience will be a key component for all of the competitors this weekend and is likely to play a huge part in deciding who claims the first Grand Slam of 2018.
Halep has shown amazing determination and character from start to finish, coming through a marathon third round contest with Lauren Davis whilst saving two match points against Angelique Kerber in the semi-final after comfortably winning the first set.
The Romanian also struggled with an ankle problem in the opening rounds, which offers further proof of her fighting mentality.
Meanwhile, Wozniacki has enjoyed a slightly more comfortable run to the final, overpowering Elise Mertens in straight sets during the penultimate round.
The only occasion where the Dane has had to dig deep in Melbourne was right near the start, when she came from a set behind against world number 699 Jana Fett before clinching her place in the third round.
With Federer and Cilic one man has had to show a bit more grit and steel with the Croat coming through a rollercoaster of a quarter-final contest Nadal, despite the Spaniard retiring because of a hip injury.
Coming up against last year’s runner-up Cilic recovered brilliantly after falling 2-1 behind, eventually outlasting Nadal and moving into the last four.
Federer has had a slightly less arduous passage to the final, not conceding a single set the entire tournament.
The five-time Australian Open champion will be the better rested of the two men, after his semi-final opponent Hyeon Chung was forced to pull out during the second set.
Looking back on their individual journeys it is clear that whoever is crowned champion will have demonstrated a greater mental capacity to deal with adversity, taking on whatever is thrown at them and coming through the other side.
