Australian Open finalist Rafael Nadal has admitted that he thought his performance in the semi-final against Roger Federer was very good.

Nadal, who goes up against another Swiss player on Sunday in Stanislas Wawrinka, said that it is always tough to play Federer but that his service game was the difference on the day.

"I played well tonight, I am very happy the way that I played tonight," he told reporters after the match. "[It is a very] special moment that I have chance to be in another final. I go on court knowing it is a very tough match and if I don't play my best it's going to be tough to win.

"The important thing for me is serve well, resist at the beginning. I knew he'd come on court going for winners, taking the ball early. Today serving against his backhand I had the chance to start points with a little bit of an advantage.

"I saw [Wawrinka] play Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych. He's doing great. I know him, he's a good friend, he's serving unbelievably. I will need to play my best as I will not have a lot of chances."

Nadal got past Federer in straight sets on Friday.