'The King of Greatness!' - Football world reacts to Federer's Australian Open win

Roger Federer claimed his 18th grand slam title on Sunday with a thrilling victory over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open.

Federer's last grand slam triumph came five years ago at Wimbledon and, after beating his long-time rival Nadal over five sets in Melbourne, the football world was in awe of the Swiss tennis star's performance.

Retired icons such as Luis Figo and Franco Baresi tweeted their congratulations, with the latter hailing Federer as "majestic", while Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi could not hide his enjoyment of the final.

Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen, who currently plays for A-League side Melbourne City, had a closer view of the game than most, and he was in no doubt about Federer's status.