It's Switzerland - Spain in a Grand Slam final, but not as you know it.

Stanislas Wawrinka has emerged from compatriot Roger Federer's shadow over the last 12 months, and is now one step away from winning his first major down under.

Rafael Nadal is the man that stands in his way, current world number 1 and 13 time Grand Slam winner. He will become the first man in the open era to win every Grand Slam twice should he win on Sunday morning.

Wawrinka is 0-12 in matches against the 27 year old Spaniard, but this would be the perfect time to break his duck. He was on a 14 match losing streak against Novak Djokovic before their quarter final encounter, and we know how that turned out. Nadal also has a 13-5 record in major finals, a superb record.

It has been an unpredictable rise for the Swiss, now at the age of 28. Coach Magnus Norman has massively helped, as this graph, courtesy of coretennis.net shows. He has risen 9 places since the Swede began his role, and will rise in the rankings further even with defeat on Sunday.

The rise under Norman

Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly one of the greats, and could easily reach 20 slams as he is only 27. Overwhelming favourite for the title, he would be only 4 away from Federer's record 18 Grand Slams. He hasn't got a great record since his 2009 triumph in Australia, having injury problems every year, apart from losing in over five hours to Novak Djokovic in 2012. He has had a number of blister problems throughout the tournament, a possible hinderance to him.

When asked about how he would prepare, Wawrinka said "I'm going to keep my routine." “Try to qcome early to practice, take time to have dinner here, then listen to some music, being alone a little bit, like I had before the semi-final. When I'm nervous, I like to take time some for me with my music and just relax a little bit. So that's quite simple.”

Whoever wins, it will be an intriguing final in Melbourne, and you can follow it live here at VAVEL.