Finalists enjoyed holiday practice

Two months after practising together on holiday in the Maldives, Roger Federer and Marin Cilic will face off for the second time in three grand slam finals at the Australian Open.

Cilic comfortably defeated Britain’s Kyle Edmund on Thursday while Federer did not even have to complete his semi-final after Chung Hyeon retired with severe blisters trailing 6-1 5-2, to the shock and disappointment of the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

There was a smattering of boos but Federer had huge sympathy for his opponent.

He said: “I thought the first set was kind of normal, I couldn’t tell what was going on with my opponent. In the second set I started to feel he was getting a bit slower, fighting with the blisters.

“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. I’m incredibly happy to be in the finals but not like this.”

Federer continues to reset the record books and will go for a 20th grand slam title in his 30th final.

Tomorrow’s match will be a repeat of last summer’s Wimbledon final when, coincidentally, Cilic was in tears because of blisters. But they have faced each other more recently and in more unusual surroundings.

Federer said of their holiday practice date: “I was there first and he arrived later on the island. I was told that Marin was coming. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool’.

“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’.

“He was eager to hit because it’s good to stay in the rhythm for both of us. We also met up later for drinks. We had cake together, my whole family and him. We had a good time.

“We actually went to practise 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.”

Chung, who was bidding to become just the third Asian player to reach a grand slam final after former Australian Open champion Li Na and Kei Nishikori, said: “I can’t walk any more. I think I did the right thing. If I play bad on the court, it’s not good for the fans as well.”

Roger Federer: saw his semi-final cut short as Korean Chung Hyeon was forced to retire with blisters. Picture: Getty Images.