NOVAK DJOKOVIC JOINS ROGER FEDERER IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS FOURTH ROUND BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 22nd January 2016

NOVAK DJOKOVIC JOINS ROGER FEDERER IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS FOURTH ROUND BY RICKY DIMON

epa05118995 Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a shot against Andreas Seppi of Italy during their third round match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2016. EPA/JULIAN SMITH AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

Making a rare foray into Margaret Court Arena, Novak Djokovic closed out his third-round Australian Open match against Andreas Seppi 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(6) on Friday night. Djokovic held all 16 of his service games to advanced in two hours and 21 minutes.

Seppi had a break chances midway through the second set and early in the third, but the veteran Italian could not convert. More opportunities came with Seppi leading 6-4 in the ensuing tiebreaker. Again, however, Djokovic proved to be too tough at pressure moments. The world No. 1 fought off a pair of set points and eventually clinched victory with a service winner at 7-6.

“It’s my subjective feeling that Margaret Court is [playing] slightly slower than Rod Laver Arena,” Djokovic commented. “But nevertheless the ball bounces low. It’s pretty good for a type of player like Andreas Seppi, who plays very flat and very solid from both corners of the baseline with a lot of depth. I think I served my way out of trouble several times. But certainly I must be pleased with a straight-set win because both sets–especially the third–could have gone a different way.”

Earlier in the evening, Roger Federer was pushed to four sets before getting the job done against Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Federer fired 13 aces to reach the fourth round after two hours and 50 minutes. In doing so, the 34-year-old Swiss earned the 300th Grand Slam match victory of his career.

Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after defeating Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in a third round match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2016. EPA/TRACEY NEARMY

“It’s very exciting, I must tell you,” Federer assured. “Like when I reached 1,000 (overall wins) last year, it was a big deal for me. Not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it’s very special. Yeah, you look deeper into it, I guess, where it’s all happened and how. Yeah, so it’s very nice. I’m very happy.”

Joining Federer and Djokovic in the last 16 were David Goffin, Gilles Simon, Kei Nishikori, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and Roberto Bautista Agut. The only upset on Day 5 saw Bautista Agut take out 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets. Not a single contest went the five-set distance.

Next up for Federer is Goffin.

“We’ll see now how the conditions are the next round because Goffin can play very, very, well,” Federer noted. “Got a lot of respect for him. Know him well. I think the conditions are definitely going to help or not help, depending on what it’s going to be like.”