Australian Open 2017: Boris Becker predicts Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal final

With top seeds Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic suffering shocking upset defeats, tennis legend Boris Becker is not ruling out the possibility of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal renewing their rivalry in this year's Australian Open 2017 final.

It's been eight years since Nadal defeated his Swiss nemesis in a classic five-set Australian Open final at Melbourne Park and nearly six years since they last squared off at a Grand Slam event. While the Spaniard hasn't won a Major since the 2014 French Open, Federer's last Grand Slam win came at Wimbledon 2012.

In recent years, the likes of Djokovic, Murray and Stan Wawrinka have repeatedly denied Federer and Nadal at Grand Slam events but with two of top-4 seeds eliminated in the first major of 2017, the tennis world is salivating at the possibility of a showdown between the modern-day greats.

While the ninth-seeded Nadal will have his hands full against Frenchman Gael Monfils in the fourth round on Monday, Federer has set up a quarterfinal clash with German journeyman Mischa Zverev, who stunned top seed Andy Murray with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory in the fourth round on Sunday.

If Federer and Wawrinka can get out of their respective quarterfinal matches, the Swiss stars will clash in the semi-finals. Nadal will need to get past Monfils before a possible quarterfinal showdown with third seeded Canadian Milos Raonic, who made his first Grand Slam final during last year's Wimbledon.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal rivalry to be renewed in 2017?

In his column for Gulf News, Becker said that the losses suffered by Djokovic and Murray opens up a lot of possibilities ahead of next Sunday's championship round. "With Novak (Djokovic) gone and (Andy) Murray losing, suddenly there’s a whole new atmosphere here. Novak’s loss has opened up bottom half and Murray’s loss, the top. So I think anybody, and I mean anybody, left in the tournament has a chance now."

While the former six-time Grand Slam champion refused to pick a winner, he echoed the feelings of tennis fans worldwide who are hoping for a Federer-Nadal showdown. "I wouldn’t rule out a Federer-Nadal final — all tennis fans would love that — but Stan Wawrinka is still in it and you have the younger ones like Dominic Thiem and David Goffin, and Milos Raonic is there too. It’s still a very strong tournament and I couldn’t really pick one: that’s why I pick everybody!"

Last week, American tennis great Andre Agassi also speculated on the possibility of a ninth grand slam final between Federer and Nadal. "I don't think you can ever write that off. Champions know how to win. And if things are lining up with their bodies and lining up with the draw, you know one thing: Roger's not going to lose it. If he has an opportunity to play off-the-charts tennis and really internally believes he can win -- which he would have every right to believe - if he's playing at that level, he's going to execute.

"You've got to believe the same with Nadal. Australia was never his most successful tournament, even at his best, but champions know how to win and, if things fall right, he can be there," Agassi told the Australian Associated Press.

While Roger Federer is just two wins away from returning to his first Grand Slam final since the 2015 US Open, Rafael Nadal needs to get past Gael Monfils and other rising stars to book a berth in his first Major final since the 2014 French Open.

Over the years, the Spaniard has dominated the Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer rivalry. Nadal is 9-2 in all Grand Slam events and 23-11 overall. Nadal also holds a 3-0 edge over the Swiss great at Melbourne Park.