Roger Federer makes confident statement ahead of Novak Djokovic Australian Open semi-final
Roger Federer is aiming to beat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open for the first time since 2007.
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Roger Federer insists his recent win over Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals gives him the belief of repeating that success at the Australian Open. Federer has endured a torrid record against Djokovic in Grand Slams recently, not beating the world No 2 at a major since his triumph at Wimbledon in 2012.
Their most recent match at a Grand Slam came in the Wimbledon final last year, which turned into an epic five-set thriller.
Djokovic managed to save two match points by the end before going on to win his 16th Grand Slam title.
Federer was visibly upset in defeat after losing the near five-hour contest.
He was able to enact some revenge at the ATP Finals by defeat Djokovic in straight sets, a result which meant the Serbian missed out on the year-end world No 1 title.
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The two meet again today for a place in the Australian Open final though with Djokovic in red-hot form while Federer has stuttered through the last few rounds.
Incredibly though, the two tennis greats are neck and neck when it comes to meetings on outdoor hard courts having won 13 matches each.
But it's Federer's most recent win over Djokovic which is giving him most confidence about advancing through to Sunday's final.
“It showed me he is beatable,” Federer said.
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“If I play my game, I have to do several things well.
"But I hope it is the same thing for players against me, and Rafa [Nadal] as well.
"You cannot just serve well, you cannot just play well from the back of the court.
"You need to have mixed skills and he is one of these players who are like that.
"It does me good to know that, at my age, I can prove, from time to time, that I can beat Rafa and Novak and win tournaments.
"The challenge in five sets is bigger. You have to do even more good things for longer.
"But I have played so many matches that obviously I believe. I believe until the end.”