Federer ready for ultimate challenge

Roger Federer made a successful start to the Australian Open Keystone

Roger Federer's latest attempt to win a rare True Grand Slam – picking up all four grand slam titles in the same year – has begun in Australia.

The Swiss made it look difficult in his first round match against German Björn Phau at the Australian Open, dropping serve three times in the first set before dispatching his opponent 7-5, 6-0, 6-4.

“I got broken in the first set three times, and that makes you a little bit nervous,” said Federer after his match. “You try to stay cool, but I got a little bit nervous.”

“I think the level is OK. I think it could be definitely much better. But that’s how I always feel after a first round.”

The Swiss returned to Melbourne Park as the strong favourite and defending champion, one of three slams he won last year, when he won 92 matches and lost only five. Four of his losses were against second-seed Rafael Nadal, including the final of the French Open, Federer’s Achilles heel.

Federer was the first man since Australian legend Rod Laver completed his second True Grand Slam in 1969 to make the finals of all four majors in a season.

But that was not good enough for the 25-year-old Basel-born star. Federer skipped his regular season-opener at the Qatar Open, deciding he needed a breather.

“You have to look at the big picture,” he said. “I wanted to have a life, you know, have Christmas and New Year’s and come here rested. For me, it was most important to come to Melbourne in the mood to win the Australian Open, not come here and feel like it’s a pain.”

He got in some practice in Dubai, then arrived in Australia a week earlier than usual.

At the exhibition Kooyong Classic in Melbourne, Federer won two of his three matches, chalking up a rare loss in the final against American Andy Roddick in three sets.

He reckoned though three matches was all the fine-tuning he needed ahead of the Open.

“With my experience and the way I finished the season and the way I’m coming into this – I don’t see why I should be vulnerable,” he said. “It’s going to be really tough for people to beat me here.”

Tough draw

But Federer received no favours in the draw.

He could face a quarterfinal against last year’s losing finalist Marcos Baghdatis, but first had to get past a first-round match against one of the few men on tour with a winning record against him in head-to-heads.

While Federer’s 3-6 record against second-seeded Rafael Nadal has been well documented – they can only meet in the final in Melbourne – his loss seven years ago to Phau received scant attention.

The 27-year-old German had beaten the Swiss champion 6-2, 6-3 in the first round at Washington in 1999, breaking serve five times.

But their careers went in different directions. Federer has notched up nine Grand Slams, more than $28.5 million (SFr35.6 million) in prize money and has been ranked No. 1 since February 2004. Phau is ranked 83rd and has won $936,126.

Holy grail

Federer has not lost a first-round match at a slam since the French Open in 2003. He hit back immediately to win Wimbledon and has reached the semis or better at 11 of the past 13 majors.

Federer’s third- and fourth-round opponents could be US Open semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny and former No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Baghdatis looms as a quarterfinal rival, with Roddick and Safin in the bottom of Federer’s half of the draw.

Federer already has enough entry rankings points to ensure that by the end of February he will break Jimmy Connors’ record of 160 consecutive weeks at No. 1.

But more important to him is that he will know by January 28 whether he is set up for another shot at the True Grand Slam.

“If I win here, it gets very interesting,” he said. “I’ll know in a few weeks if that’s a goal that I can give myself or not.”

swissinfo with agencies

In brief

Roger Federer won 92 matches in 2006. He lost on only five occasions, four times against Rafael Nadal.

He won 12 tournaments, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Federer has won 27 of the 28 grand slam finals he has played. His only defeat was against Rafael Nadal at the French Open in Paris.

The International Tennis Federation named Federer player of the year in 2006. He is only the fourth player to be named men’s world champion for three consecutive years, following Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

He was also voted Swiss sports personality of the year in the recent Credit Suisse Sports Awards held in Bern.

Key facts

The Australian Open in Melbourne is one of four grand slam tournaments of the ATP circuit.
The other major tournaments are the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Australia’s Rod Laver was the last man to sweep all four grand slam events in the same year (1969). Steffi Graf did it in 1988 (also winning the Olympic Gold).
Federer has clinched three of the grand slam tournaments twice (2004 and 2006), but has never won the French Open.