AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012
Down Under Diary - Federer Praises delPo; Looks Forward To Nadal SF
Melbourne, Australia
Roger Federer has a 9-17 record against
his semi-final opponent, Rafael Nadal.
ATPWorldTour.com takes a look at the news and talking points at the Australian Open on the second Tuesday.
FEDERER IMPRESSED BY DELPO; LOOKING FORWARD TO NADAL SEMI-FINAL
Roger Federer, who won his 1000th match on Tuesday by beating Juan Martin del Potro in the quarter-finals, praised his Argentinean opponent by saying, "I definitely see him in the Top 8 [in the South African Airways ATP Rankings] at the end of the year. He'll get many more chances this year. It's a long year and it's only the beginning. I'm happy I'm playing well, but I also see that he's actually in good shape, too."
Federer will now meet Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam championship for the first time since 2005 Roland Garros. "It's been a long time," said the Swiss. "It's true, we have been on opposite sides of the draw many times. I didn't even play Murray last year, because we were ranked 3 and 4. I guess it's a nice change-up."
When asked whether the semi-final line-up would feature the Top 4, Federer said, "I think there's a good chance, yeah. I think all the top guys are playing really well at the moment. We know it's going to be a tough end to the tournament if you get there."
MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER
Former World Championship-winning rower Sarah Tait took fifth seed David Ferrer out onto the Yarra River ahead of the Spaniard's quarter-final clash with top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.
Djokovic admitted, "People mostly talk about the Top 4 [Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray] because the Top 4 have been the most dominant in the tennis the last couple of years. But in my eyes David Ferrer and every player, especially the ones [at] the top, are great competitors and I have lots of respect towards them. I think sometimes they’re underrated, especially Ferrer, who has been so consistent. He’s been a Top 5 player for a long time."
LENDL ON NEED FOR PATIENCE
Ivan Lendl, the former World No. 1, who coaches Murray, insists that patience is the key in the Scot's bid to capture a first major title. "Part of it is maturing, he is still a fairly young player, he is 25 this year," Lendl told ESPN. "He needs experience and some players learn quicker than others, I was one of the slower ones. You just do your thing and keep on doing it and when the door opens you have to step through it.
"Everyone makes a big thing of Andy being 0-3 in [Grand Slam] finals but he lost twice to Roger [Federer], arguably the best player of all time and certainly in the Open Era. Losing to Novak [Djokovic] here last year at the time looked like a bad loss but if that had happened at the US Open everyone would have said Novak had had a fantastic year and no-one would have been riding Andy's tail."
Lendl says that Murray is full focused on Wednesday's match against Kei Nishikori. "It's one match at a time, no player gets to the quarters without being a very good player. Nishikori is a young player, he played a very good match [Monday] and this is the next goal."
HEWITT EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS
Lleyton Hewitt, who lost to Djokovic on Monday night, is expected to play a full schedule this season and may well be back for his 17th Australian Open next year. Hewitt's manager, David Drysdale, told The Age newspaper on Tuesday, "He exceeded all expectations. The body's going to determine what happens but, if you ask me now, I expect to see him back next year. He's striking the ball well, he's mentally as tough as anyone and there's absolutely no talk of retirement." Hewitt turns 31 next month.
Federer, who watched Hewitt's late-night match, said, "I was really happy for him because he hasn't gotten a fair chance to prove still how good he is. Some judge him on his ranking, which is obviously not telling the truth. I think he's been playing really well still the last two years - just didn't get enough matches and never really got on a roll, because he was always interrupted the whole time. I was really happy, because he's had a really difficult draw."
TOMIC LOOKING TO JOIN ELITE
Bernard Tomic is looking to join the elite in the South African Airways ATP Rankings within 18 months. Speaking after his three-set loss to Federer, the Australian said, "I can play tournaments and play relaxed and know I'm just going to go up. Every match I win I go up. So it's a great feeling knowing until Wimbledon I have no points [to defend]. I think I'm now, 50 [or] 60 points away from being seeded at Grand Slams. It’s a great thing, I think.
"Having played all the Top 4 guys now and Roger twice, I think there is a lot for me in the future. I’m always going to get better and better. Looking back a year I was not as good as now. And now looking to next year, I’ll probably be even better. That’s a scary part for me because I know I can improve a lot."
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