Roger Federer won his 99th match at Aussie Open set up rematch with John Millman in 3rd round

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Roger Federer improved to 41-0 in the first two rounds of the Australian Open on Wednesday night, moving past Filip Krajinovic 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.

The six-time champion started and finished with a flourish to extend his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against Krajinovic to four matches. Federer ripped 42 winners to break serve seven times throughout the one-hour, 32-minute encounter.

“I am very happy. It is a great start to the season so far,” said Federer. “I am feeling really relaxed out on the court. I trained hard and you hope it pays off and not that it was all for nothing this week. I am happy, I am still going and I am looking forward to the next one.”

Federer is now just one win away from winning his 100th match at the Australian Open. The Swiss, who owns a 99-14 record at Melbourne Park, is the only man to win 100 matches at a Grand Slam event. Federer owns a record 101 wins at Wimbledon.

Federer will need to beat Australian John Millman to reach that mark at the year’s opening major championship. Millman, who beat Federer in four sets at the 2018 US Open, defeated 31st seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes. Federer leads Millman 2-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

”[Millman] is a great guy. I practised a lot with him and I almost passed out when I played against him in New York,” said Federer. “It was so hot. He had no problem, he’s from Queensland… He never came to check on me [to see] if I passed out after that match but I didn’t, I’m here.

“I played him two other times, once in Brisbane and I almost lost that one too. The other time was in Halle last year. He is super good guy, unbelievably tough opponent. There are not many fitter guys than him out there and those are the guys I respect the most, actually. He gets absolutely the most out of the game and I hope it is going to be a great match with some great rallies.”

Federer is aiming to equal Novak Djokovic’s record of seven Australian Open titles this year. The 38-year-old captured his sixth trophy at this event in 2018, beating Marin Cilic in five sets to add a 20th crown to his record Grand Slam titles haul. Rafael Nadal can equal that total at this event if he wins his second Australian Open title.

It was a rapid start from Federer, who stood on top of the baseline and ripped backhand winners to establish a 2-0 lead. The third seed soon opened the court and ripped his forehand to double his advantage, before taking the opener after 20 minutes. The third seed closed out the first set with a love service hold as Krajinovic netted a backhand return.

The second set proved more competitive as Krajinovic fought back from a break down, flattening his backhand and rushing Federer into errors with deep returns to reach 4-4. But the Serbian committed two errors at the net in the following game to gift Federer the opportunity to serve for a two-set lead. Federer held serve to 15, as Krajinovic failed to return a powerful serve down the T.

”I saw that [Krajinovic had made 90 per cent of first serves in the first two sets]. I was looking at the stats and I was aware. I am aware of a lot of things… It was a very high first-serve percentage, extremely high, to get only a handful of second serves throughout two sets is rare.”

Federer cruised to victory from that point, winning 13 of 15 second-serve return points to secure three service breaks. The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who dropped just one point behind his first serve (10/11) in the final set, clinched the win with a powerful cross court forehand winner.

Krajinovic was aiming to equal his best Grand Slam result by reaching the third round in Melbourne for the second straight year. The Serbian also reached the third round at Roland Garros last year.

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Millman is going to be Federer's first true test of his level. I really thought it would be Hurkacz honestly. 

I didn't see the match so I don't know whether it was Millman playing really well, and Hurkacz just not up to snuff after his 5 setter coming back from 2 sets down. 

Either way next one will be a lot more difficult for Fed. 

But perfect opportunity to get some revenge for the U.S. Open loss (and no heat issues this time).

Roger Federer scores first win of 2020 in Aussie Open first round

I am loving this outfit for Rog. :)

After 21 consecutive appearances at the Australian Open, Roger Federer is familiar with every inch of Rod Laver Arena. The third-seeded Swiss brought the level of comfort that dozens of matches on a court can provide to his opening-round clash with Steve Johnson, sweeping aside the American 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a breathtaking display.

Federer said in his pre-tournament press conference that his expectations for this fortnight were low, but the six-time champion may want to raise them after his latest performance. He broke the American five times and remains unbeaten in first round matches in Melbourne (21-0). Federer hasn't lost his opening match at a Grand Slam since 2003.

”I think I became a better player. Thirty-two seeds helped, to keep more of these better-ranked players away. When I came up on Tour, there were only 16 seeds,” Federer said of his early-round success at Grand Slams. “I guess I created a game which allowed me to manage all kinds of opponents.

”I’m happy that I was able to manage those first rounds. As we know, they can always be very tricky. That’s why [ATP] Masters 1000 [tournaments] are tough sometimes. You can play a Top 20 player in the first round and that’s when it gets tough.”

Johnson arrived with confidence after winning an ATP Challenger Tour event last week in Bendigo. But his off-pace slice backhands and chip forehand returns played into Federer’s strengths, allowing the Swiss to attack with his forehand and move forward. A forehand volley winner gave Federer an immediate break in Johnson's opening service game and he led 4-1 after 18 minutes.

Rain briefly brought both players off the court so the roof could be closed, but it did little to disrupt Federer’s momentum. He continued to coast in his service games and grabbed the early advantage.

The second set was one-way traffic for Federer, who won 16 of the first 18 points and sprinted to a 4-0 lead. Even when Johnson made the correct play, he was often reduced to a spectator as he watched Federer whip winners past him. Federer landed 80 per cent of his first serves (16/20), consistently setting himself up for one-two punches to end points. A forehand winner from the Swiss, his 26th of the match, gave him a commanding two-sets lead.

Federer opened the third set by once again jumping out in front with an early break. He comfortably served out the match on his first try to wrap up play after just 85 minutes. Federer improved to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head with Johnson and has yet to drop a set against the American.

Next up for Federer is Serbian Filip Krajinovic or French qualifier Quentin Halys.

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Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic in the same half of Australian Open draw again

Novak Djokovic, the seven-time Australian Open champion, has been drawn in the same half as six-time former titlist Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas. World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who picked up the 2009 title at Melbourne Park, shares the top half of the draw with Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem.

Djokovic, who took part in the draw ceremony on Thursday night, reflected on his 2019 final performance against Nadal, admitting, “It was probably the best performance I’ve had in a Grand Slam final in my career. I’ve had some great matches, including the 2012 final that almost went for six hours and last year at Wimbledon, another five-set thriller, but last year’s final against Rafa was probably my most complete performance. He was in great form and hadn’t dropped a set all tournament. It was one of those days where everything worked perfectly. I could feel a lot of confidence, after beating Lucas Pouille in the semi-finals.”

Djokovic, with a 68-8 record at Melbourne Park, has a tricky opener against Jan-Lennard Struff, with a potential quarter-final against sixth seed Tsitsipas or ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut. Tsitsipas, who beat Federer in the 2019 fourth round, starts his campaign against Salvatore Caruso, while Bautista Agut faces his ATP Cup team mate Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic has a 2-2 record against Tsitsipas, with victory in their last meeting at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, while the World No. 2 is 8-3 against Bautista Agut.

Outside of his main rivals, Djokovic sees a small group of players as potential contenders for the first major of 2020. “Daniil is playing great tennis, he had a close five-set match against Nadal in the US Open final," said the Serbian. "He was two sets down, so it was impressive to look strong over five hours. He is in a small group of players that are getting close, in addition to Dominic Thiem, who has reached a couple of Roland Garros finals; Tstisipas won the [Nitto] ATP Finals a couple of months ago and [Alexander] Zverev. We [the Big Three] hope this isn’t going to be the year that they win, but there is a good group of players coming up.”

World No. 1 Nadal, the 2009 champion, opens his quest for a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam championship crown against Hugo Dellien. The Spanish superstar has a 61-13 record at the Melbourne major, including four runner-up finishes in 2012 (l. to Djokovic), 2014 (l. to Wawrinka), 2017 (l. to Federer) and 2019 (l. to Djokovic). Nadal may face No. 16 seed Karen Khachanov or No. 23 seed Nick Kyrgios in the third round, with a potential quarter-final against fifth seed Thiem, who begins against Adrian Mannarino. Nadal has a 4-3 record against Kyrgios, splitting two meetings last year in Acapulco and Wimbledon, 7-0 against Khachanov and 9-4 versus Thiem.

Third seed Roger Federer, who has recorded 97 match wins at the Australian Open (97-14), could play No. 13 seed Denis Shapovalov or No. 18 seed Grigor Dimitrov, who beat the Swiss at the 2019 US Open, in the third round. Federer, who starts against Steve Johnson, is projected to meet eighth seed Matteo Berrettini in the quarter-finals, and then Djokovic.

Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, who compiled a 59-21 match record in 2019, including a runner-up finish at the US Open in September, faces Frances Tiafoe in the first round. If he is to better his 2019 fourth-round run, he may need to beat No. 15 seed and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round. Wawrinka, who plays Damir Dzumhur in the first round, is 0-2 against Medvedev.

In other first-round match ups, seventh seed Alexander Zverev plays Marco Cecchinato and could face No. 11 seed David Goffin or last week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open champion Andrey Rublev, the No. 17 seed, in the third round. Former World No. 4 Kevin Anderson, who is on the comeback trail from injury, could face No. 29 seed Taylor Fritz in the second round, should both beat qualifiers.

In 2019, the Australian Open began to feature deciding set tie-breaks at 6-6, with the first player to scores 10 points – and leading by two points – winning the match. The men's draw will also continue to implement its heat policy, with the potential for a 10-minute break for the heat after the third set. Main draw play will get underway on 20 January.

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Not the worst draw he's had at Aussie Open (he's had worse ones at U.S. Open) but still a tough one. 

It'll all depend on his form and how well he can navigate the early rounds.  

Hopefully he can play his way into the tournament, having not played any warm up events. 

First obstacle could be Hurkacz he serves great, and is a decent returner, so if Roger has an off day serve-wise it could get tricky.

Don't even get me started on Dimitrov, I still haven't forgiven him for last year's U.S. Open. Here's hoping he faces Shapo instead. 

Barretini hasn't played much due to injury so I expect Roger to possibly have to face Fognini who's always unpredictable. 

Hoping Tsitsipas will do to Djokovic what he did to Federer last year at AO. I would rather he face Tsitsipas again than Djoker in the semis. 

Not too worried about Nadal, he's got Thiem and Medvedev so not gonna be easy for him to reach the final. 

If Roger doesn't reach week 2, all I want for this tournament is to have someone other than Djokovic/Nadal in the final. 

Because 1. We already had that last year & 2. We literally saw them face off a week ago at ATP Cup and it was the same boring one sided affair. 

So here's hoping we see some upsets in that regard. Bring it on Aussie Open, I'm so ready!. 

ATP Tour & WTA Stars Join Forces For Rally For Relief

Tennis world comes together in support of those affected by bushfires

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios joined forces with WTA stars on Wednesday night to support those impacted by bushfires that have devastated many part of Australia.

The Rally for Relief, held on Rod Laver Arena, the main stadium court at the Australian Open, raised almost AUD $5 million for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Firefighters were courtside relaying their recent experiences.

World No. 1 Nadal and Federer announced that they would donate $250,000 to the bushfire relief efforts. “Hopefully that keeps inspiring the people to support this terrible disaster that we are going through,” said Nadal.

Federer said: “It’s been difficult [to watch]. You wish that this doesn’t happen in your country. In Switzerland we don’t have these kind of extreme situations. I’m always happy to help. I wanted to raise awareness and raise money. And tell the people to still travel to Australia.”

Team Williams — featuring Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, Nadal, Djokovic and Thiem — played against Team Wozniacki, consisting of Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Tsitsipas and Zverev, in fun, traditional doubles matches on Wednesday. Federer and Kyrgios also completed an exhibition set.

Kyrgios, who was one of the first players to pledge a donation, offering $200 for each ace that he strikes, said: “It’s been an emotional couple of weeks. It’s so hard, I just wanted to send a message. That was an opportunity for me to use my platform. “I woke up the next day and it (had) kind of exploded. It was so emotional.”

To donate, visit ausopen.com/aces

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Tennis stars come together to Rally for Relief of Australian Bush Fires

Roger Federer named GQ's most stylish man of the decade

 

by  Peter Hapak

Roger Federer has long been stylish with his game and his fashion, both on and off the court. And the Swiss superstar finished the 2010s with a big award in the style department, being named GQ’s Most Stylish Man of the Decade on Friday.

The award was decided by the fans in an Instagram-based bracket contest. Every day, fans voted between two celebrities on GQ's Instagram stories. The winner of each 'match' moved on. Federer advanced past A$AP Rockey, Jonah Hill and Harry Styles before defeating Timothée Chalamet for the title. The likes of LeBron James, Kanye West and Ryan Gosling also were part of the competition.

s The editors of GQ described each of the 16 celebrities in the bracket, and this is what they wrote about Federer:

“Some of the guys on this list made their reputations on red carpets; others, in paparazzi shots. Roger Federer, on the other hand, has a case for most stylish man of the decade thanks to something as simple as this: When the guy puts on his Wimbledon whites, he stands basically alone. It’s not about his clothes so much as the righteously relaxed, preternaturally confident way he moves in them. (Also: Dude is a Bond-level tux wearer.)”

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Roger Federer first living person to be featured on Swiss coin

Roger Federer fans can now have the Swiss legend with them at all times. Swissmint has created a 20-franc silver coin bearing Federer's image. It's the first time in its history that Swissmint has created a commemorative coin to honour a living person.

Federer is perhaps Switzerland's most well-known individual, having won 103 tour-level titles, including 20 Grand Slam crowns and 28 ATP Masters 1000s. He has also spent a record 310 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings.

The 38-year-old finished No. 3 in the 2019 year-end standings, marking the 15th time he's finished in the Top 3, which is a record. He also became the oldest player to end his season at No. 3.

Off the court, the Swiss engages in philanthropic activity around the world with his self-named foundation, which he created in 2003. Federer has had other off-court commemorations as well. In 2012, the German city of Halle, where Federer is now a 10-time champion, named a street after the Swiss. In 2007, Swiss Post released a Roger Federer stamp in his birthplace of Basel.

More coins will have Federer's face next year. In May 2020, Swissmint plans to issue a Federer 50-franc gold coin featuring a different design.

For the 20-franc coin, the pre-sale began on Monday 2 December and continues until 19 December 2019, or until the first minting run of 55,000 units has sold out, whichever comes first.

Fans shouldn't despair, however, if they miss out on the first run. If demand exceeds the initial run, Swissmint “reserves the right to produce a further 40,000 coins and issue them in May 2020.”

All of the Federer coins can be purchased through the Swissmint's website.

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