FEDERER AND THERAGEOF MIRACLES

Swiss legend admits he got very lucky as he saved SEVEN match points against Sandgren after taking a convenient injury break and getting a warning for swearing then confronting a line judge

ROGER FEDERER admitted he needed a miracle to save seven match points and book a place in the Australian Open semi-finals.

And the world No.3 claims he can now face defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals with no pressure because he should be back “skiing in Switzerland.”

World No.100 Tennys Sandgren (right, near) had his seven chances in the fourth set – including one on his own serve – but could not close out the biggest win of his life before Federer edged through 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-3.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner also needed five sets against Aussie John Millman in the fourth round.

And after reaching the last four without facing a top-40 player, Federer said: “You gotta to get lucky sometimes – I don’t deserve this one. I just said ‘I

in miracles.’ And if I can get through a match like this, through a match like Millman, you do believe.

“I do always believe until it’s actually over. And with these lucky escapes, all of a sudden you might play without any expectations because you know you should already actually be skiing in Switzerland. I’m lucky to be still here and I might as well make the most of it.”

To have a chance of a seventh Australian Open title, Federer has to be fit to face Djokovic in their 50th clash. The 38-year-old left the court at a very convenient time while 0-3 down in the second set to get his tight groin treated.

“I don’t know if you can call it an injury,” he said. “It’s just pain and problems. Hopefully we’ll find out that it’s actually nothing bad but I must say I feel pretty good right now.”

Federer blamed the pain on a rare loss of cool in the second set when he dropped the Fbelieve bomb in English – and added more detail in Swiss German.

A line judge told umpire Marijana Veljovic and the Serbian issued a warning for an audible obscenity. Federer confronted the line judge (below) and then sarcastically asked the umpire: “She is from Switzerland, right?” Federer, who speaks several languages, admitted he swore but added: “It was a mix. Clearly she speaks mixed. Next time I got to check the linespeople!”

There might never be a next time for Sandgren to have a better chance to reach a Grand Slam semi-final. To sum up his day, the 28-year-old even collided with a ballgirl during a changeover in the tiebreak and took a knee to his calf. “That was painful,” he said. “She was apologetic. Accidents happen, so that wasn’t a big deal.” His night promised to be better after he tweeted: “What’s the rule – a double shot for each match point you didn’t convert?”

Seven-time champ Djokovic had more problems with his contact lenses than with Milos Raonic, needing a medical timeout to replace one, much to the annoyance of his opponent.

Djokovic won 6-4 6-3 7-6 to extend his record to 10-0 against the Canadian.

The Serb (left) then broke down in tears in his post-match interview when talking about Kobe Bryant. “He was my mentor, my friend,” Djokovic said about the American basketball legend who died this week.