SHOW US YER FEDALS
TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN Swiss ace Roger aims to boost trophy haul with 20th Slam title
ROGER FEDERER bids to win his 20th Grand Slam title tomorrow – and the chance to show off even more silverware to his friends.
Federer faces Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final, a repeat of their Wimbledon clash that saw the Croat reduced to tears.
Cilic was unable to perform at his best in the July showpiece because he was hampered by blisters.
And it was the same injury to young South Korean Chung Heon that allowed Federer a trouble free route to the 144th Tour final of his career.
The Swiss star has won 95 of them and admitted he likes looking at the fruits of his labour.
Federer said: “I have most of them at home. I have a nice trophy cabinet.
“Sometimes I go through it and think ‘wow’. And sometimes I’m like, ‘it’s just tennis’.
“When we have friends round it’s cool to look at Olympic medals and trophies. It’s something I’ve worked very hard for.”
Cilic and Federer’s most recent meeting was in the Maldives when the pair met for a hit on the holiday courts when both were staying with their families a couple of months ago.
Federer, 36, said: “I was there first and he arrived later on the island.
“When he arrived, I didn’t want to bother him. He didn’t want to bother me.
“After two days, he wrote to me: ‘I’m here too in case you want to catch up and stuff, let me know’. I was like, ‘Sure, let me know if you want to hit’.
“We went to practice twice for 45 minutes. It was great fun. No coaches, no nothing, just the two of us on the court hitting balls.
“It was just nice and laid back. To get to know the man behind the tennis player, I guess.”
Federer eased into the final and was probably tested more in his holiday knock with Cilic than by Chung, 21, the first South Korean to reach a Grand Slam semi-final.
Chung quit when he trailed 6-1 5-2 and his agent Stuart Duguid said: “It’s worse than regular blisters. It was blister under blister under blister.”
And Federer said: “I’ve played with blisters in the past and it hurts a lot. At one point it’s too much. It’s better to stop. This feels bittersweet. I’m incredibly happy to be in the finals but not like this.”
There were a few boos as Chung threw in the towel but he said: “I can’t walk any more. I did the right thing. If I play bad on court, it’s not good for the fans as well. I’m happy to be able to make the semis in a Grand Slam.”