In ominous touch, Federer says plenty left in tank

MELBOURNE: Ruthless Swiss master Roger Federer said he had “plenty left in the tank” as he kept intact his 20-year record of reaching at least the third round of the Australian Open after crushing Serb Filip Krajinovic.

The six-time champion first played at Melbourne Park in 2000 and has gone on to make the semifinals or better on 14 occasions, with no exits before round three. The 38-year-old third seed dominated the 41st-ranked Krajinovic 6-1, 6-4, 6-1, stretching his record over him to 4-0.

Federer, who is bidding for a seventh title to match Novak Djokovic’s record, and his first since 2018, came into the tournament without playing a warm-up event but has nevertheless looked ominous. “Very happy, been a great start to the season,” he said as he moved a step closer to a 21st Grand Slam title. “I feel really relaxed on court. I’ve trained hard and you always hope it pays off.”

Asked if he felt sorry for Krajinovic, he replied: “I do feel a bit sorry, but you’ve got to take advantage of it.” Over his two matches so far Federer has dropped just 13 games, and admitted he preferred easy early encounters rather than tough battles to preserve energy.

“I prefer this much more than overcooked. As easy as it looks, there’s always the effort, trying to extend the lead,” he said. “Of course, it’s not quite the same stress level if you’re down a set or a break or two sets, whatever it may be. I prefer it this way because you have always extra left in the tank if you need it.”