Federer defiant in defeat despite Djokovic’s dominance

LIKE everyone else, Roger Federer is left searching for answers about how to stop Novak Djokovic. The world No 1 lies in wait for either Andy Murray or Milos Raonic after he defied the wishes of another furiously pro-Federer crowd to see off the 34-year-old 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Whoever meets him in the final will be very much second favourite because nowhere does the Serb look more impregnable than Melbourne Park, where he has won five times. If Murray gets through he will have to overturn a recent record that has seen him lose 10 of his last 11 matches against Djokovic. He would need to capture the spirit of defiance that Federer managed for a time, and when speaking afterwards. ‘Best of three, best of five, I can run for four or five hours. It’s not a problem,’ said the Swiss. ‘I’m not worried going into long rallies. I know you guys make it a different case. I get that, because you think I’m old and all that. But it doesn’t scare me when I go into a big match against any player who’s in their prime. I’m going deep in Slams. I’m having great runs.’ It took a set of vintage attacking Federer to temporarily stop the Djokovic momentum, and one down-the-line winner before he was broken in the fourth set defied belief. Closing the roof made no difference. Djokovic refused to complain about the support for Federer, saying: ‘When I play Roger it’s expected in a way, considering his career and his greatness on and off the court, what he has done for the sport.’ The 28-year-old admitted the first two sets yesterday were ‘flawless’ and the best he has ever played against the 17-time major champion.