Kim Clijsters encouraged by first professional match back in Dubai despite loss

Kim Clijsters lost the first match of her highly-anticipated comeback against Garbine Muguruza in Dubai, but she pushed the Spaniard all the way in an entertaining clash on Monday night.

Muguruza beat the four-time Grand Slam champion 6-2 7-6(6) to progress to the second round of the hard-court tournament.

But the continuation of the Australian Open finalist’s impressive start to 2020 - she has won 12 of her 14 matches - was overshadowed by the return of Clijsters, who showed encouraging signs in her first professional match since the 2012 US Open.

Now 36 and the mother of three children, the Belgian shrugged off rust to push the world No.16 in a physically intense battle, coming within two points of extending the match to a third set.

"I had a good feeling out there,” Clijsters said.

"I do feel a little bit of… I'm not going to say relief, but a feeling of the pace I can handle.

"Second set, I felt I was really in the match. I felt like for a while I was dominating some of the points.

“I think that's a good feeling to have, knowing the way I started the first set and then the way I was able to get back into that second set, with the type of tennis I played, it's something that is the positive about this match.

“I'll take that with me for the next matches."

Early on, it was one-way traffic as the in-form Muguruza controlled the contest.

Several forehands from Clijsters flew long while her double-fault tally mounted; she finished the match in double digits.

When the Belgian sprayed a backhand wide, she trailed 6-2 3-0.

Yet Clijsters has a history of quickly rediscovering form after a long lay-off.

She missed the bulk of 2004 due to a wrist injury before rebounding to win Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back in 2005, when ranked outside the top 100.

When she made her return to the game in 2009 after first retiring in 2007, she won the US Open as an unranked wildcard in just her third tournament back.

This is a comeback of an altogether different kind, given her age and the time she has spent away. Yet again, she displayed her uncanny ability to almost immediately summon world-class ball striking.

She and Muguruza slugged out a series of entertaining rallies, and Clijsters ultimately broke the Spaniard to level at 4-4 before saving break points to push ahead 5-4.

Her groundstroke speed matched the powerful Muguruza, and Clijsters even demonstrated her trademark sliding split as she lunged to reach wide forehands.

Despite the large crowd growing in volume as Clijsters threatened to take over the match, Muguruza remained focused and closed out victory in one hour and 37 minutes.

Muguruza was only just starting to emerge on tour in 2012 in what was Clijsters’ last season before her second retirement, and admitted she was impressed by what she saw in the wildcard.

"I think she played very well, especially in the second set at the end. It was very tight," Muguruza said.

"I think this is just special because I didn't know how (she) going to play. I know she can play incredible. She did at some point play incredible level. I haven't seen her play in so long, so it's like, 'Okay, what's going to happen?'

"I'm sure she's going to get better and better, for sure, give us a lot of trouble.”

ausopen.com

Kim Clijsters managing expectations, emotions ahead of professional tennis return in Dubai

DUBAI, UAE - With preparations winding down ahead of her first professional tennis match in about eight years, Kim Clijsters almost looks like she’s never left.

All eyes have been on the former World No.1 since she announced a surprise return to the tour last fall. At 36 years old and with four Grand Slam singles trophies to her name, there’s not much the Belgian has left to achieve.


But that’s not what she’s doing this for, Clijsters told press at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“It was a feeling that I had inside, a feeling that I had inside for a little while,” she said, speaking to a packed room of journalists during WTA All-Access Hour in Dubai.


“Kind of talked to a few people. Once in a while that feeling would go away when I was home with the kids. A couple times it would come back. It got stronger and stronger.


“I talked to my husband. He was like, ‘Why not? Stop worrying about why and ask yourself why not.’ He made a very good point. I was like, All right. Yeah, why not?

That’s not to say that it was an breezy journey back to the game. Clijsters was the first to admit that the process of getting back to professional match fitness has been difficult, especially with the lengthy interval since her last competition. (During those eight years away, the Belgian gave birth to her second and third children, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.) She had to delay her comeback - originally scheduled for January - due to an injury, but assured press that she's ready to compete.

“I've enjoyed the challenge," Clijsters said. "I've enjoyed it since the day I've decided to go for it. It's been with ups and downs.

“Being 36 years old, you know that's how it's been for your whole career. It is with ups and downs. It's how you mentally stay through it, how strong you stay through those kind of situations.

“It's been an interesting but very challenging process that I'm really enjoying.”

She will have to hit the ground running in Dubai, where she’s set to contest her first match in eight years on Monday against Garbiñe Muguruza. The Spaniard is coming off a thrilling run to the Australian Open final, looking her vintage best after a sluggish 2019 season.

“I've seen Muguruza play many matches in the last few years, so I have a little bit of an idea,” Clijsters said. “Obviously I was a little curious to see who it was going to be. I don't think it really matters in my situation right now.

“I still feel like I have a lot of things that I want to focus on myself, want to learn, start to get a feel for things again mentally, physically, emotionally, how I'm going to feel when I'm out there.”

To prepare, Clijsters hit the Dubai practice courts with fellow former No.1 Simona Halep - who told press that the Belgian is “playing really well” - and has been seen putting in the long hours on Centre Court.

No stranger to comebacks, Clijsters first stepped away from the sport in 2007 at the age of 23 as injuries took their toll. She spent two years in retirement, during which she gave birth to her oldest daughter Jada, but she soon found herself back on the tennis courts after being invited to compete at an exhibition match at Wimbledon. The trip sparked what would later become her “second career”, returning to the tour in 2009 and right away lifting back-to-back US Open trophies.

But despite her previous success, Clijsters isn’t putting the pressure on herself to see big results straight away.

“I have expectations. I don't think they're the expectations [you guys] would like to hear from me. They're not result related or ranking related. They're more individually for myself,” Clijsters said.

“It's getting a feeling of how I want to play out there,” she added. “That's the expectation or the goal I'm trying to get to. I have moments now where in practice, ‘This is it, this is how I want to play.’ I just have to be able to do it in matches now.

“We'll see if I'm capable of doing that. I'm sure it will take time.”

Kim Clijsters will kick off her run at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against No.9 seed Garbiñe Muguruza during Monday’s first-round action. She is also set to compete in Monterrey and Indian Wells later in the season.

wtatennis.com

Roger Federer feeling positive despite another semi loss to Djokovic at Australian Open

Roger Federer took the long view on Thursday despite coming up short in his bid to reach an eighth Australian Open final. The 38-year-old Swiss lost to Novak Djokovic 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3 as the Serbian improved to 8-0 in Melbourne semi-finals.

But Federer still leaves Melbourne Park feeling positive about his first tournament of the year and what lies ahead for him in 2020. The third seed came back from the brink twice, against Aussie John Millman and American Tennys Sandgren, just to reach the semi-finals, and he pushed the seven-time champion Djokovic in the last four.

Federer served for the first set at 5-3 but was broken before Djokovic came back.

“Overall, at the end of the day I guess I'm very happy. I got to be happy with what I achieved. It was the maximum to go to get at this tournament, especially after the Millman and the Sandgren match,” Federer said.

He fell to 5-1 on the season, and Djokovic now leads their ATP Head2Head series 27-23. The Swiss had been trying to reach his 32nd major championship final (20-11).

Federer was bothered by a groin injury that cropped up during his quarter-final against Sandgren, when Federer saved seven match points and prevailed in five sets.

“I went for a scan that same night, was all right. After that, well, we didn't push it. I didn't practise. I took a day off the next day. Today I just really rested until as late as possible. But I didn't have any pain in the daily stuff. That was a positive sign,” Federer said.

The Swiss, however, has never retired from a tour-level match and managed his pain throughout the semi-final.

“Today was horrible, to go through what I did. Nice entrance, nice sendoff, and in between is one to forget because you know you have a three per cent chance to win. Got to go for it. You never know. But once you can see it coming, that it's not going to work anymore, it's tough,” Federer said.

“At the end of the day I'm very happy. I think I overall played all right. I know I can play better. At the same time I also know I can play much worse. With no tournaments beforehand, I think it's a very, very good result.”

Federer was optimistic that he'll be back to full strength in the very near future.

“My feeling is rather quickly,” he said. “You want to be 100 per cent to be able to train again, then get ready for hopefully Dubai. Right now it's only guessing. I'm very happy that I don't feel any worse than when I started. That's for me super encouraging.”

This season could be a significant year for the 38-year-old. Last year, he won his 100th tour-level title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, joining American Jimmy Connors as the only men to cross the century mark with singles titles.

This year, Federer could pass Connors as the Open Era match wins leader. Connors has 1,274 match wins, 32 ahead of Federer, who has 1,242.

Federer also will try to remain on top of the Open Era Grand Slam titles list. The Swiss has 20 major championships, but Rafael Nadal, with 19, and Djokovic, who will play for his 17th on Sunday, remain close behind.

Federer might have to do all that work a spot lower in the FedEx ATP Rankings as well. Austrian Dominic Thiem will rise to a career-high No. 3 if he wins the Australian Open title.

That's not to say that this will be Federer's final season, though. He plans to come back to Australia in 2021.

“You never know what the future holds. But especially my age, you don't know. I'm confident. I'm happy how I'm feeling, to be honest. I got through a good, nice training block. No plans to retire,” Federer said.

“From that standpoint, we'll see how the year goes, how everything is with the family. We'll go from there. Of course, I hope to be back.”

atptour.com

I'm so proud of him for even attempting to play despite not being well That's 1,513 matches he has not retired from. 

And hey he give it all in that first set, had he managed to take it who knows what would have happened.  

Well done Rog, you exceeded expectations going into this tournament with no tune up. 

Not a bad start to the year. Now get some well deserved rest and take some time to recuperate, you deserve it.

Let's go Dominic Thiem, you finally beat Nadal on hard court and you played the best match against Djokovic in ATP Tour finals last year. 

I believe in you.

Roger Federer saves 7 match points survives in 5 sets to reach 15th Aussie Open semi despite groin injury

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After 22 years on Tour, Roger Federer delivered the greatest Houdini act of his career to reach the Australian Open semi-finals on Tuesday. The third seed erased seven match points to complete a stunning 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-3 win over Tennys Sandgren in an instant classic.

”You’ve got to get lucky sometimes,” Federer said with a smile in his on-court interview. “I was just hoping that maybe he wasn’t going to smash a winner, if he misses one or two [match points], who knows what’s going to happen? I think I got incredibly lucky today.

”As the match went on, I started to feel better and just tried to play. I believe in miracles. There could be rain… Just let him finish me off in style, and he didn’t do that. I’m still standing here and obviously just very happy.”

Federer remains unbeaten (15-0) in quarter-finals at this event. The Swiss has also won his past six five-set matches in Melbourne, completing another great escape last week by rallying from 4/8 in the fifth-set tie-break of his third-round clash with John Millman.

@rogerfederer has won his last 6 five-set matches @AustralianOpen:

2020 QF - d. Sandgren
2020 3R - d. Millman
2018 Final - d. Cilic
2017 Final - d. Nadal
2017 SF - d. Wawrinka
2017 4R - d. Nishikori

Next up for him is second-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic, who beat No. 32 seed Milos Raonic of Canada in straight sets. Federer trails Djokovic 23-26 in their rivalry and has lost their past three matches in Melbourne, all of which took place in the semi-finals (2008, 2011, 2016).

”It’s nice to see Milos back and playing well. It’s nice for him to remind everybody that he does belong up in the [FedEx ATP] Rankings. I’m really happy for him,” Federer said. “Novak, he’s a champion, especially here in Australia. We’ve had some epic matches in the past... I need to feel better than I do today.

”The draws are not getting easier. But I’ve got the next [two] days with nothing to do… You do feel better and you just never know. With these lucky escapes, you might play without expectations because you know you should be skiing in Switzerland… Might as well make the most of it!"

Federer applied pressure from the first ball in the opening set. Sandgren erased a pair of break points in his first service game, then fought back from 0/40 two games later. But Federer kept knocking on the door and it opened at 3-2, with the six-time champion securing a break after Sandgren sent a backhand long. He maintained his slight advantage and cracked a first serve on set point to take the early lead.

The Swiss has been prone to streaks of unforced errors this fortnight and endured another spell of them early in the second set. With Sandgren using his outstanding speed to make Federer play one more ball, the 28-year-old tracked down a deep forehand on break point at 1-0 and floated up a high lob, drawing a smash error from Federer to grab his first break of the day.

Federer struggled to find the range on his shots, hitting 15 unforced errors throughout the second set. Serving at 2-5, the third seed's backhand hit the top of the tape on set point and allowed Sandgren to level the match.

The unseeded American scored another break against the Swiss to lead 2-0 in the third set, causing the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena to gasp in unison. With the prospect of a maiden Grand Slam semi-final becoming more realistic, Sandgren blocked out any signs of nerves and remained calm.

Facing triple break point at 2-0, he unleashed a series of booming serves and eventually held. Sandgren continued to increase his first-serve percentage, beefing it up from 46 per cent in the first set to 70 per cent in the third set.

Federer left the court for a medical timeout at 0-3, but it didn't change Sandgren's dominance on serve. Most of his aces came in the Ad court, but he also consistently pushed the Swiss out wide to his forehand in the Deuce court, setting up one-two punches to keep points short.

Although Federer's movement appeared to be hampered, he fought for every point. He bravely erased five set points on his serve at 2-5, but Sandgren converted his sixth chance after a Federer backhand found the net, pumping his fist at his team as he moved closer to a career-defining win.

Facing triple break point at 2-0, he unleashed a series of booming serves and eventually held. Sandgren continued to increase his first-serve percentage, beefing it up from 46 per cent in the first set to 70 per cent in the third set.

Federer left the court for a medical timeout at 0-3, but it didn't change Sandgren's dominance on serve. Most of his aces came in the Ad court, but he also consistently pushed the Swiss out wide to his forehand in the Deuce court, setting up one-two punches to keep points short.

Although Federer's movement appeared to be hampered, he fought for every point. He bravely erased five set points on his serve at 2-5, but Sandgren converted his sixth chance after a Federer backhand found the net, pumping his fist at his team as he moved closer to a career-defining win.

Both players traded comfortable service holds in the fourth set until Sandgren reached match point with Federer serving at 4-5. But the prospect of defeating the six-time champion suddenly showed in the American’s groundstrokes, with three match-point opportunities vanishing due to nervy errors. Federer eventually held with a forehand winner as the crowd roared in approval.

The set eventually moved to a tie-break and it was Federer who blinked first, hitting a loose forehand to give the American a 4/3 mini-break advantage. Another three match points came Sandgren's way at 6/3, but the Swiss shockingly erased all of them and hit a swinging forehand volley winner at 6/5 to level the score.

A seventh match point came and went at 7/6 after Sandgren hit a slice backhand into the net. Federer, at long last, earned a set point of his own at 8/7, but the American quickly removed it with an ace. Federer secured a 9/8 mini-break lead after the American pulled a forehand wide, then brought the match to a decider after Sandgren sent a smash from the baseline well long.

Sandgren stayed with Federer in the early stages of the final set, but the effects of squandering seven match points had understandably taken a toll mentally. Federer found new life in his movement and pace on his forehand, cracking a down-the-line forehand at 3-2 to earn a critical break. He made good on his first match point, launching a big first serve to wrap up play after three hours and 31 minutes.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Sandgren has plenty to build on. He scored a pair of big wins this fortnight over eighth seed Matteo Berrettini and No. 12 seed Fabio Fognini en route to reaching his second quarter-final at this event. The World No. 100 is projected to jump back inside the Top 60 on Monday and is in a prime position to continue climbing.

atptour.com


I have watched this man play over 100 matches at the Australian Open, but I can honestly say I have never seen one quite like this.

It started off like any other match, he won the first set with relative ease, and then started making uncharacteristic errors in the second lost the set easily. And I thought, well guess he's gonna have to do this in 4 again, unnecessary but doable. 

Turns out I was wrong because his shots kept missing and he lost the 3rd. That's when I started to get worried. My concern grew when Roger got a unsportsmanlike conduct warning for an obscenity, and he started arguing with the empire. That's when I knew something was really wrong, because Roger never does that. 

Things became very apparent he was not well when he his serves started losing speed. After he went for a medical time out I just thought, well that's it. It was fun while it lasted. All those kind of cliches. After the m/o time out it was clear he was still really struggling and it was hard to watch. 

So much so that I honestly considered hitting the off button on my t.v. at least 10 times in the forth set. I wanted him to retire and put himself out of misery at that point. Fully knowing that would never happen because the man has played 1512 matches and never retired mid-match in any of them. But I was wishing for it nonetheless. Turns out that even after all these years of being his fan I completely underestimated his fighting spirit. 

4-5 in the fourth is when the change came.  At 5 all the momentum started to shift and we went to a tie-break that saw Roger save 7 match points. I still can't believe how he did it. But it happened. He was still nowhere near his best in the 5th but found something extra to break and get himself over the line. Afterwards he said he believed in miracles.  Well this certainly was one of those. 

The chances of him actually winning his next match are so minuscule I'll basically be going into it expecting him to lose. But hoping for the best and praying for another miracle. Because that's what it would take for him to win it all at this point. After Djokovic, it would either be Nadal or Thiem (who beat him 3 times last year). So yeah...guess I'll just enjoy whatever this great man has left to give.  

Roger Federer makes his 15th Aussie Open Quarter Final

Roger Federer became the first man to reach 15 Australian Open quarter-finals on Sunday, sprinting from a set down to beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena.

Two days after surviving a final-set match tie-break against John Millman, the six-time champion broke serve on seven occasions to move clear of 14-time quarter-finalist John Newcombe. Federer has now reached the last eight at 57 Grand Slam events.

“It was a tough start, I thought Marton played clean,” said Federer. “I guess it was the rest of the Millman match, that guy gave me a beatdown from the baseline, so maybe it took my confidence away a little bit and I think it just took some time."

It is the second time in three years that Federer has beaten Fucsovics in the fourth round in Melbourne, having also ended the Hungarian’s run in 2018. With his two-hour, 11-minute victory, Federer improves to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against the 27-year-old.

“The morning after John’s match and this morning, I lay in bed for like an hour and I was like, ‘When are we going to stand up?’… I’m good. I was able to recover and play a good match, so I am sure I am going to feel better with every day that goes by after that match.”

With a semi-final spot on the line, Federer will face two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren for the first time. Sandgren battled past 12th seed Fabio Fognini 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-4 in three hours and 27 minutes.

“He was not going to be a baseball player, that’s for sure, with that name. It’s unreal actually,” joked Federer in his on-court interview with John McEnroe. “I am looking forward to playing against him. I have never played against Tennys. I have played a lot of tennis in my life, but never against Tennys.”

Fucsovics made the quicker start under the lights, claiming the opening break of the match at 3-3. Three errors from Federer handed the Hungarian triple break point, with Fucsovics ripping a forehand up the line to convert his third opportunity. The 6’2” right-hander took the opening set with a comfortable service hold, as Federer missed a cross-court forehand return.

An emphatic reaction followed from Federer, who held serve to love before striking winners up the line off both wings to break for a 2-0 lead. Federer soon clinched a second service break, as the forehand winners continued to flow, and he levelled the match with a swinging serve into Fucsovics’ forehand.

Federer took the momentum into a crucial third set, landing a huge backhand down the line to win the opening point. The Swiss mixed the pace well and showed great touch en route to a 4-0 lead, as Fucsovics struggled to find a way past the 38-year-old. Despite dropping serve in the sixth game, the six-time champion Federer moved one set away from the quarter-finals with a short backhand volley.

”Things went very quick. I think it's good for me to know that I can put streaks like this together,” said Federer. “I think in any tournament I played very well, I had those streaks happening at some point.”


For the third straight set, Federer earned an immediate service break. The World No. 3 attacked his opponent’s forehand, extracting multiple errors as he closed in on the last eight. Federer booked his meeting against Sandgren with a powerful serve into Fucsovics’ forehand.

“I was looking to mix it up a little bit more. It gets really slow in the night time, especially when it is cool like this, so I just had to figure it out and I finally found a way," said Federer. "I had a good start to the second set and from then on, things got a little bit easier.”

Fucsovics was aiming to become the first Hungarian player to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. The World No. 67 upset 13th seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round, then earned straight-sets wins against Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner and American Tommy Paul.

“He really played a great tournament,” said Federer. “He beat three young guys, [got] through a tough section to make it to the fourth round.

“I was surprised also, like Sandgren, that he's not ranked higher. I think a lot of Marton. I think through this result, it's going to give him a lot of confidence moving forward, and we'll see him back in the Top 50 very, very soon.”

atptour.com

Slow start, but no drama and a quick finish. Well done Rog!. 

No idea what to expect with his next opponent Tennys Sandgren, but here's hoping for more of the same from Roger. 

Let's go Swiss man!. 

Roger Federer survives in 5 on a day of upsets notches his 100th Australian Open match win

Celebrating a century of wins at Aussie Open with the wifey ♥

Roger Federer lived dangerously at the Australian Open, completing a fifth-set victory that will live long in the memory at 12:48 a.m. local time on Saturday morning. It was his 100th match win at Melbourne Park.

Drawing upon his vast experience, six-time former champion Federer recovered an early break in the fifth set to eventually beat Australia’s John Millman 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(10-8) over four hours and three minutes for a place in the fourth round against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary.

Federer recovered from 0/3 and 4/8 deficits in the eighth fifth-set tie-break of the championship for an historic victory that broke his three-match losing streak in fifth sets. He’d previously lost fifth-set matches to Grigor Dimitrov in the 2019 US Open quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final and Kevin Anderson in the 2018 Wimbledon quarter-finals. His most recent fifth-set win came on the occasion of his 20th Grand Slam crown at the 2018 Australian Open (d. Cilic).

“Oh God, it was tough," Federer told former World No. 1 Jim Courier in an on-court post-match interview. "Thank God it was a Match Tie-break, otherwise I would have lost this one. Where to start? I think John played a great match… He is a great fighter, a good guy and it came down to the wire at the end.

"A bit of luck maybe goes one way. I had to stay so focused, take the right decision. He was doing all that stuff at the beginning of the Match Tie-break, coming up with the goods and I thought, ‘Okay, I guess I tried.’ I didn’t play too bad after all and I was getting ready to explain myself in the press conference… What a match and John deserves over half of this one.”

Millman said prior to the match, “If lightning strikes twice, I wouldn't say no to it,” and the Australian, cheered on by thousands in Rod Laver Arena, very nearly added to his 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) victory over Federer in the 2018 US Open fourth round. Matching the third seed off the ground, and playing nerve-free tennis, Millman severely tested Federer’s stellar record against players are their home Grand Slam championship (now 39-3).

Federer, who improved to 3-1 lifetime against Millman, hit 62 winners, including 16 aces. Although he committed 82 unforced errors, Federer won 85 of his 111 first-service points, but went three of 10 on break points. Millman won 178 points to Federer’ 181 total points.

“I had to figure out a way to get him in trouble on his serve," said Federer. "He’s not known to be the best server. He’s got a good serve, but it is not like the tall guys coming in super fast and everything. But he was doing such a nice job of not making many mistakes and I was struggling in the forehand cross court, backhand cross court. He was dominating both sides, so I think for me it was a matter of holding my own serve, figure out a way and give myself time and chances…

"I never really felt comfortable and I thought John did a great job of keeping me on my back foot. I couldn’t always step in, until the last shot. I went for it. He picked the wrong side. It was tough… John made it so difficult for me tonight.”

Millman, who prides himself in being one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour, started in confident fashion, holding serve to love and trading powerful groundstrokes with Federer, who lost his serve in the fourth game when Millman hit a backhand approach winner. Millman consolidated the break for a 4-1 lead by recovering from 0/30 and saving one break point, but got caught on the run by Federer when serving for the set at 5-3. In the next game, errors from Federer handed Millman the 32-minute opener.

Federer said he’d need three matches to start playing his best tennis and the Swiss started to fire in the second set, testing Millman on serve with deeper returns but could not convert his lone break point at 5-5, 30/40. Federer stepped up at 3/1 in the tie-break, seizing control with a big forehand that left Millman scrambling and rushed the net at 6/2 to strike an athletic backhand volley winner.


There was little to choose between the pair in the third set, but Millman gave Federer a look at 4-5, when he hit a double fault at Deuce, only to slam the door with an ace down the middle. Federer, now rushing the net and putting Millman deep behind the baseline, weathered an aggressive barrage and clinched the 45-minute third set when Millman over-hit a backhand.

Millman refused to give in and in the seventh game of the third set, chased down deep groundstrokes at 30/40 to force a forehand error from Federer and a 4-3 advantage. Unlike the first set, when Millman was broken when serving at 5-3, the 30-year-old didn’t make the same mistake, striking four powerful first serves into court for a cool love hold.

"I could have gone away easily in that fourth set. Roger was playing pretty well. Had the momentum. I thought I turned it around pretty well. I left everything out there."

When Federer overhit a mid-court forehand long to give Millman a 2-1 lead in the decider another upset was on the cards, but never rule out a champion. Federer bounced back immediately for 2-2, and later Millman needed to recover from 15/40 for a 4-3 lead. As the pair’s fourth ATP Head2Head meeting edged closer to a deciding-set tie-break, Federer applied the pressure firmly on Millman’s shoulders, but the Australian didn’t buckle.

Millman stormed to a 3/0 lead in the eighth fifth-set tie-break of the championship and carried the momentum, including a superb forehand passing stroke at 7/4, but Federer won six straight points for a famous victory - ending with a forehand winner into space (his 62nd winner of the match).

“If you watched to get up to 8/4, I hit a running forehand line pass, a running forehand cross pass, a stop volley that I was probably dead to rights to make,” said Millman. “Then Roger made it tough. I don't know. That's what the best players, I guess, do…

“It's not as if it was double faults or first-ball errors. I went after it. At 8/8, I had a chance, he played a pretty good volley, I'm running full tilt. Missed one line. Again, that would have been a pretty good pass.

“Then I played a great point I think at 8/9 and he picks the right way. What do you do, you know?”

atptour.com

What is it with Roger Federer and 5 set drama?. 

There's been so much of it the last few years, and this one was once again too close for comfort. 

Could have gone either way. I have no idea how he managed to comeback in that 10 point tie-break (twice no less). 

But my god, am I ever glad he did!. It would have hurt too much to see him lose yet another 5 heart breaker like this. 

This one was so important confidence wise for Fed when it comes to tie-breakers. So let's all take a deep sigh of relief for that. 

And to think us Federer fans have survived 100 of these over the years. No doubt taking years off our lives in the process. 

Day 5 a day full of upsets that saw Serena Williams knocked out of the draw, Caroline Wozniacki play her last match as a professional on the WTA tour, and a young teenager named Coco Guaff upset the defending champ Naomi Osaka.

Federer somehow found a way to right the ship, and restore some normalcy to what was a completely bonkers Friday in Melbourne Park. 

On to the round of 16 we go. It only gets harder from here *nervous laughter* 

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

menstennisforums

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.

atptour.com

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).