 | Born: 8/8/81 Nationality: Swiss Seeded: 2 World ranking: 2 Australian Open best:
4th round (2003, 2002 & 2000) Recent record:
2003: 4th round
2002: 4th round
2001: 3rd round |
Federer arrives in Melbourne as a Grand Slam winner and Masters Cup holder following a fairytale season in 2003. Having initially struggled to live up to expectations, Federer broke through in scintillating style at Wimbledon, his faultless displays earning him comparisons to the previously untouchable Pete Sampras.
He added six other titles, on all four surfaces, and finished the year by sweeping aside the competition at the Masters Cup.
However, while Federer is arguably the most gifted player on the tour, he is still prone to allowing his mind to wander.
He was deservedly beaten by Roddick in the Montreal Masters semi-finals last year, and his concentration seemed to be elsewhere when losing to David Nalbandian in Cincinnati the following week.
Indeed, Federer will be keen to avoid Nalbandian and Britain's Tim Henman in Melbourne - he has a 1-5 losing record against both.
However, if Federer does not at least surpass his previous best of the fourth round at the Australian Open, it will be a massive disappointment for the Swiss star.
MMIX
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