Federer is keeping his cards close to his chest
With a portfolio that includes 99 ATP titles, many would have assumed that Roger Federer would welcome the label of grand slam title favourite. However, this time round, he is eager to put those expectations to bed.
At the Hopman Cup Federer was undefeated in the singles matches. Scoring wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Cameron Norrie, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev on route to the title. He has now won 23 consecutive singles matches on Australian soil since 2017.
“I’m happy I’m feeling this good and playing as well as I am,” Federer said.
“It’s good to finish on a singles performance like this. I’m a bit surprised that the matches have gone as well as they have.”
Whilst the signs are good, when it comes to the Australian Open Federer insists that he is not the overwhelming favourite. In his last two majors, the Swiss player has gone out in the quarter-finals (Wimbledon) and fourth round (US Open). During a 10-month period in 2018 (January-October), Federer won only two out of six matches against top 10 opposition.
“I am one of the top ten favourites,” Federer said about his Melbourne chances. “So are many others. We don’t know the draw yet. I don’t know my first-round opponent. I don’t know if I play day or night. To talk about who is going to win it, we know who the usual suspects are and I’m part of that bunch.”
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