Federer achieves another milestone
MELBOURNE, Australia — The countless records and accolades accumulated over a long and illustrious career don’t in any way diminish Roger Federer’s satisfaction when he sets yet another benchmark.
Federer became the first man to win 300 Grand Slam singles matches when he beat Grigor Dimitrov, a player formerly dubbed “Baby Fed” for the likeness of their styles, Friday in the third round of the Australian Open. Federer is now 67 ahead of No. 2 and long-retired Jimmy Connors in Grand Slam singles wins, so the mark is safe for a while.
The 34-year-old Federer already tops many “most of” lists in men’s tennis — from the number of major titles won (17) to the number of consecutive Grand Slam tournaments contested (65). Yet he still gets a thrill from the numbers.
“It’s very exciting, I must tell you,” Federer said after his 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Dimitrov. “It was a big deal for me.
“It’s not something I ever aimed for, but when it happens, it’s very special. You look deeper into it, where it’s all happened and how. So it’s very nice.”
Federer’s next aim is to break a Grand Slam title drought that dates to Wimbledon in 2012. He reached two major finals in 2015, losing both to Novak Djokovic, who has replaced him as the most dominant man in the draw. Federer could meet Djokovic in the semifinals.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic needed only 25 minutes to win the first set against No. 28-seeded Andreas Seppi but had a tougher time in the next two, saving two set points in the tiebreaker before winning 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (6).
“I played a quality player who took out Federer last year here and who has been on the tour for many years,” Djokovic said. “It was a great test. I’m just glad I got through.”
In women’s play, Serena Williams raced to a 6-1, 6-1 win in 45 minutes over 18-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina to set up a fourth-round match with Margarita Gasparyan, whom she beat at Wimbledon last year.
Maria Sharapova beat Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0 to record her 600th win at tour level, becoming the 17th women’s player to reach the mark.