Federer Loses In Third Round Of The Australian Open
Roger Federer feared well before stepping onto court in the Australian Open third round against Andreas Seppi that something was not quite right with his game.
The Swiss second seed found out the hard way that his sensation was correct as he lost in the third round in Melbourne for the first time in 14 years, taking a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) defeat against the 30-year-old Italian whom he had beaten in all ten of their previous meetings.
Roger Federer of Switzerland returns the ball to Andreas Seppi of Italy during their third round match of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 23 January 2015. EPA/LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
“I felt for some reason yesterday and this morning it was not going to be very simple today,” said Federer, who dropped the first set in his second-round match before beating Italy’s Simone Bolelli. “Even in practice I still felt the same way. I was just hoping it was one of those feelings you sometimes have and it’s totally not true and you just come out and you play a routine match.
“It was a mistake. I know the strength of Seppi, who I know can play very well. I was aware of the test and was well-prepared. Just somehow couldn’t play my best tennis today. It was definitely partially because of Andreas playing very well.”
Federer will now take a month off to rest and train before resuming at the ATP event in Dubai in late February.
But the 17-time grand slam event winner was still puzzled by his sluggishness and errors in the heat of another big-match battle.
“Maybe the rhythm was missing. But I feel like that very often and then, you know, I come out and play a good match. Sometimes you feel too good and then you play a horrible match.
“I was aware that this could be a tough match, so I wasn’t mistaken this time around. I had the overall feeling on the court that I couldn’t really get the whole game flowing.”
Content via Bob Larson tennis news
Topics: Andreas Seppi, AO15, Australian Open, Roger Federer, Tennis
RT @TennisNewsOne: ROGER FEDERER LOSES TO SEPPI IN EARLIEST ROUND IN A DOZEN YEARS FOR HIM @ THE AUZZIE OPEN http://t.co/5qYEQzpG6V #tennis