Federer's 1,000th Match a Lot Like his Others
Roger Federer's 1,000th match was similar to most in his career — no-nonsense, dominating from the start, some incredible shots, and yes, victory.
Four-time champion Federer advanced to his ninth straight Australian Open semifinal with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win Tuesday over Juan Martin del Potro, the man who beat him for the U.S. Open title in 2009.
"It's a lot of matches and a lot of tennis," Federer said. "Either I have been around for a long time or I'm extremely fit. You decide which way you want to describe it. But I'm happy."
In the semifinals, Federer will play the winner of the Tuesday's other quarterfinal between second-seeded Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych, a rematch of the 2010 Wimbledon final won by Nadal.
Federer's career, including a record 16 Grand Slam singles victories, can be enhanced even more if he wins the title this year at Melbourne Park. With a 232-34 record in Grand Slam singles matches, he'd overtake Jimmy Connors' mark of 233 wins with victories in the semifinals and Sunday's final.
The quarterfinals on the other side of the men's draw are on Wednesday — Andy Murray plays Kei Nishikori of Japan and top-seeded Novak Djokovic takes on David Ferrer. They'll have a tough time matching the quality of the Federer-Del Potro encounter.
Del Potro, who has recovered from the right wrist injury that sidelined him for most of 2010, played well in flashes. But Federer was at another level, hitting lobs, drop shots, cross-court winners and generally negating Del Potro's big forehand.
"We have played some big matches against each other, so just knowing how well he's been playing as of late, I was just hoping that I would get off a good start," Federer said. "I was able to mix it up well and control the ball, and right away sort of felt confident, which then sort of helped me to use all aspects of my game."
The end of the match came in a most fitting way, one of Federer's backhand winners.
Before that, Federer saved his fourth break point at 5-3 in the second set after a long rally. He let out a loud yell, unusual for a player not prone to big celebrations.
"That's why I didn't celebrate when I won the set, just to make it up," Federer said, smiling. "I really knew how important that game was for me."
Source: Associated Press
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/27688 |