Latest Federer first: 300 wins in Slams
MELBOURNE, Australia — The countless records and accolades accumulated over a long and illustrious career don’t in any way diminish Roger Federer’s satisfaction when he sets yet another benchmark.
Federer became the first man to win 300 Grand Slam singles matches when he beat Grigor Dimitrov, a player formerly dubbed “baby Fed” for the likeness of their styles, in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday.
Federer, 34, tops many “most of ” lists in men’s tennis — from the number of major titles won (17) to the number of consecutive Grand Slam tournaments contested (65). Yet he derives a thrill from the numbers.
“It’s very exciting, I must tell you,” Federer told the crowd following his 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Dimitrov.
He compared the latest milestone to his 1,000th win in tour-level matches, which he sealed 12 months ago in Brisbane.
“It was a big deal for me,” he said.
‘It’s very special’
Federer is 67 wins ahead of No. 2 and retired Jimmy Connors in terms of Grand Slam singles wins, so the mark is safe for a while.
“It’s not something I ever aimed for but when it happens, it’s very special,” he said. “You look deeper into it, where it’s all happened and how. So it’s very nice.”
Federer’s next goal is to break a Grand Slam title drought that dates to Wimbledon 2012. He reached two major finals in 2015, losing both to Novak Djokovic, who has replaced him as the dominant man in the draw. He could meet Djokovic in the semifinals.
Djokovic took care of the man who ended Federer’s run in the third round here last year, the Swiss star’s worst run at the Australian Open since 2001.
The No. 1- ranked Djokovic needed only 25 minutes to win the first set against No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi but had a tougher time in the next two, saving two set points in the tiebreaker before winning 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (6). The five-time Australian Open champion was playing at the same time as Serena Williams, who raced to a 6-1, 6-1 win in 45 minutes over Russian Daria Kasatkina, 18.
In Saturday’s women’s matches, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka over- powered Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-1 in 56 minutes after watching No. 48-ranked Barbora Strycova upset third-seeded Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-2 in the previous match on center court.
No. 3 Muguruza upset
The 14th-seeded Azarenka had 24 winners to only four for Osaka, who was making her Grand Slam main draw debut.
Muguruza misfired frequently on her groundstrokes, finishing with 32 unforced errors, and appeared to be lethargic at stages of the match. The Spaniard’s loss left No. 7 Angelique Kerber as the highest- ranked player in the bottom half of the women’s draw.
“Clearly not my best, for sure. I think today is a very bad day at the office,” Muguruza said. “I just couldn’t find the court.”
American John Isner, the 10th seed, used 44 aces to advance with a 6-7 (8), 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-4 win over Fernando Lopez.