Federer has won in Melbourne four times, albeit not since 2010, and holds numerous records in the sport.
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Roger Federer finds himself back in the fourth round of the Australian Open along with adding yet another piece of history to his storied career.
She says, “I don’t do bananas anymore”.
“You know you’re in a Grand Slam environment, third round and against an opponent you haven’t played… that’s fired up and is not going to just give you the match and that’s exactly what happened”, she said.
Davis said she needed an energy boost because she hadn’t had lunch before the match. “After the second set, I was just getting a little flat”.
“I had unbelievable coaching, support team, parents, wife, and everybody around me throughout”, Federer noted. “It’s been unbelievable. I’ve been truly privileged to have the experience”. “It’s OK to make mistakes”.
Their head-to-head record at the end of the twilight match stood at 5-0 in Federer’s favour, however, and Dimitrov exits Melbourne Park still very much stuck in the Swiss’s long shadow. But he was quick to recover and did not allow the Bulgarian to dominate play.
Sharapova handled Davis, one of the shortest players top-tier tennis has ever seen at 5 feet 2 inches, easily in the first and third sets. “The depth is greater”. You are taken by expertise just to date.
“But the rest of it is you have to teach yourself and learn it, get it right”.
“You got to be patient, as well”.
“You have to deal with it”, said the world No 1. He reached two major finals in 2015, losing them both to Novak Djokovic, who has replaced him as the most dominant man in the draw.
When the pair met in Brisbane two weeks ago, Federer had to overcome a health issue of his own – illness.
The Swiss, nearly 10 years Dimitrov’s senior, only had cause for concern when the Bulgarian world number 28 upped his level in the second set to even up the contest. “It didn’t feel like it was really happening out there”.
“I’m pleased. (It) wasn’t easy”.
“In the first set I was sore but after treatment I felt better”, he said. I thought I played good tennis at the beginning of the year, and that’s important. “He likes it, I think”.
The accomplished Radwanska, who this month eased above Maria Sharapova to be fourth on the rankings, has been in top form for several months, winning the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore and backing up by claiming the title in Shenzhen.
“Then I started playing the wrong way at times …” I don’t need an additional pressure because pressure is part of what we do and it’s already there.
Friedsam had not advanced past the second round of six previous Grand Slams.
Tsonga and Nishikori will next meet, and Berdych will take on No. 24 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who on Friday upset No. 12 Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6(5), 7-5.
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Murray has barely broken sweat in his opening two rounds in Melbourne after sailing past Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-2 6-3 and then thrashing Australian Sam Groth 6-0 6-4 6-1 to make round three.
