Australian Open 2009 finals Live Streaming

Nadal, who sobbed as he earned three match points after five hours and 14 minutes - an Australian Open record - against his fellow Spaniard was facing a race against time to recover for Sunday's final.

"It's going to be a little bit tough on Sunday. Roger had Friday off and only three sets in his semi-final so now, for sure, he's the favourite," said Nadal.

"But I'll try my best."

After the brutal but high-quality marathon, Verdasco netted the final point at 1:07 am local time on Saturday and Nadal was still talking to the media at 3:00 am.

He said he would have a massage, eat and try to sleep as long as possible on Saturday before a light practice session in the evening. The final is scheduled for 7:30 pm (08.30 British time) on Sunday.

Nadal, 22, is unlikely to be fully recovered after being stretched to the limit by his fellow left-hander, who bounced back from an apparent injury problem to force a gripping final set.

But Federer rejected suggestions Nadal would not be at his best, pointing out he had breezed through his earlier five matches in straight sets.

"You could think that way, but I don't think it's really going to affect Rafa that much. He's had very easy matches going into this semi-final," he said.

Nadal compared the Verdasco clash to last year's classic Wimbledon final with Federer, which was also a record for that tournament at four hours and 48 minutes.