Roger Federer rolls on into the finals at Brisbane International

He's fighting off the stars of the so-called "Millenials" generation but it's Roger Federer who can become tennis's millennium man in Brisbane.

The Swiss great will take on Canadian rising star Milos Raonic on Sunday in the Brisbane International final, knowing with a win in the decider he'll claim the 1000th win of his ATP Tour career.

Only two men, American Jimmy Connors (1253) and Czech great Ivan Lendl (1071), have claimed more than a thousand victories in tour history.


Should Federer maintain the form displayed in victories 998 and 999, it's almost a certainty that the 33-year-old will pass the milestone.

After taking just 41 minutes to demolish Australia's James Duckworth in the quarter-finals, Federer turned it on once more against highly rated Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday to claim a 6-2 6-2 semi-final win in just 53 minutes.

Since being surprised by world No.153 John Millman in his opening set of the tournament, Federer has claimed six straight sets to race into the final.

The 17-time grand slam champion, who cited his 2003 Wimbledon final victory over Australia's Mark Philippoussis as the highlight of his 999 wins, said there's no doubt claiming 1000 wins on tour would be a great achievement.

"I hope it's tomorrow, clearly," Federer said.

"It's a really big number, no doubt about it. Love to get it tomorrow, especially in the finals in an ATP event where most of my wins have come.


"If not tomorrow, I hope it happens at the Australian Open ... I don't know if it's a goal, but it would definitely be an incredible milestone to reach."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/25953820/fed-aims-for-1000th-win-in-brisbane-final/

10 questions with Martina Hingis at Brisbane International

Awww. Martina is a fan of Covert Affairs. Too bad the series ended this year :(.

Roger Federer flies into the semis in Brisbane

Roger Federer will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals of the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Saturday, as he edges closer to becoming the third player in the Open Era (since 1968) to record 1,000 career match wins.

Twenty four hours after battling back to beat John Millman, Federer calmly defeated another Australian wild card, James Duckworth, 6-0, 6-1 in 41 minutes.

"I was very happy the way I played," said Federer. "I played aggressive, served well, and then especially on the return I kept the pressure on time and time again. Next thing you know, it was like I was running away with the score."

Federer lost just six points in the 16-minute opener and he had won eight straight games before Duckworth held serve to 15 for 1-2 in the second set. He won 25 of his 30 service points overall.

“[It was a] rough night,” said Duckworth. “We all have days that aren't as good as others. [It was] a bit of a combination of things: me not playing great; didn't probably hit the ball as well as I had the last two matches, and Roger was seeing the ball pretty big… He didn’t do too much wrong tonight.”

Federer is now just two match wins shy of 1,000 career match wins. Should he lift the trophy on Sunday, he would join Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) as the only players to accomplish the feat.

On Thursday night, Federer recovered from a set and 1-3 deficit to beat Millman in just over two hours

"I'm very happy," admitted Federer. "I saved energy and stress and nerves and everything, because yesterday was quite nerve wracking and physically difficult because it was first match of the season. You're always going to be a bit tense in that match."

Federer has beaten Dimitrov in the Swiss Indoors Basel quarter-finals for the past two years.

atpworldtour.com

Australian Open organizers make changes to their extreme heat policy for this year

MELBOURNE, Australia - Australian Open organizers have tweaked the extreme heat policy for 2015 in the wake of complaints from players about dangerous conditions during a heat wave in Melbourne during the last tournament.

Tournament direct Craig Tiley said the decision on implementing the policy will take into account the weather forecast once the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and the Wet Bulb Global Temperature — a measurement that accounts for humidity, wind direction and the temperature — exceeds a reading of 32.5.

"We believe this update will clarify and streamline the communications process for both players and support staff," Tiley said. "We've consulted the playing group and this is seen as the fairest way to implement the policy by many of the top players."

The tournament referee still has the absolute discretion on whether or not to apply the extreme heat policy, organizers said, although setting the parameters will help players and coaches preparing for matches.

In the other change, matches in progress when the extreme heat policy is invoked will be suspended at the end of an even number of games in that set or at the completion of a tiebreaker.

With the recent opening of the remodeled Margaret Court Arena, the Australian Open has three courts with retractable roofs for 2015. Organizers said that will help weatherproof the tournament.

The temperature topped 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) for four consecutive days during the tournament in January, the longest heat wave in the city in a century, but the extreme heat policy was rarely implemented.

tsn.ca

Roger Federer survives tough battle his first match of the year in Brisbane

Roger Federer appeared rusty in his season-opening match at the Brisbane International as he struggled to beat the Australian wildcard entry John Millman 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The weather was reasonably mild for sub-tropical Brisbane, where Federer lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final last year, but it was the hot reception from the No153-ranked Millman that was to trouble him.

“I’m sweating like crazy,” Federer said afterwards. “Under a lot of pressure. I think I got quite lucky in the second set. He was playing great tennis.”

It was slow start for the 33-year-old Swiss who had a first-round bye. He wasted four break-point chances in an opening game that lasted seven minutes before Millman held.

Federer was broken in the 10th game, saving three set points before hitting a swinging forehand volley too long to surrender the first set to Millman, who was getting raucous support from his hometown crowd.

The top-seeded Federer dropped serve to give Millman a 3-1 lead in the second set. However, he broke back immediately, setting it up with a classic one-handed backhand down the line, and saved three break points in the next game to keep it on serve. That was when things started to go his way.

“First match of the season, you never know quite what to expect,” said Federer, who walked on court with 996 career match wins on the ATP tour, 993 more than Millman. “Credit to him for pushing it.”

Federer will face another Australian wildcard in the next round after James Duckworth beat Jarkko Nieminen 4-6, 7-6, 6-3.

theguardian.com

Roger Federer, Martina Hingis, Milos Raonic enjoy Brisbane International Kid's Day

Tennis stars Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, Victoria Azarenka, and Martina Hingis played tennis alongside some of the Nickelodeon's popular characters during Kid's Tennis Day at the 2015 Brisbane International. Kid's Tennis Day is one of the events that many tennis enthusiasts look forward because it brings kids and families together to have fun and celebrate the thrill of the Brisbane International tournament.

Nickelodeon favourites' Dora The Explorer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Spongebob Squarepants joined Federer, Dimitrov, Raonic, Azarenka, and Hingis on Centre Court on Jan. 4. The crowd at the Pat Rafter Arena was also delighted with a performance by all-male Aussie pop music group Justice Crew at the launch of the 2015 Brisbane International. More pictures from Kid's Tennis Day are accessible on Brisbane International's official Web site.

Federer was also in attendance at the Brisbane International's Summer Night with the Stars held at Brisbane's City Hall later in the evening. Tourism Minister Jann Stuckey presented Federer with the Honorary Queenslander Award. The Summer Night with the Stars was graced by other household names in tennis including Ana Ivanovic, defending champion Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter, and legend Rod Laver.

Federer has claimed five Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP, titles in the 2014 tennis season and he is on a quest of winning his first title in 2015 at Brisbane. He made his debut in Brisbane International in 2014 and reached the finale, before losing to two-time Aussie Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Hewitt.

"I would love to win this event," Federer said via ATP's Web site. "I was close to winning last year, after I had had a good week."

According to the 33-year-old 17-time Grand Slam champion, he always wants to win in tournaments that he has never won yet. He enters the tournament feeling "pumped" and hopeful to begin his season on a good note.

Federer has received a bye in the first round. He will face either wild card John Millman or a qualifier in the second round on Jan. 7 in the seventh edition of the said tennis event held at Queensland Tennis Centre.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/577994/20150105/federer-2015-brisbane-international-kids-tennis-day.htm#.VKtxdivF_kU

Roger Federer & Martina Hingis having some fun on Kid's Day in Brisbane

 

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