Tennys Sandgren: Will be incredibly special to play Roger Federer at least once

American tennis player Tennys Sandgren says he is looking forward to playing 20 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Speaking after taking out Italian Fabio Fognini in the fourth round on Sunday, Sandgren says, "It's very special, very special. I was kicking myself that I lost to a too-good Sam Querrey at Wimbledon in the round of 16 because I would have played Rafa (Nadal) in the quarters. That would have been very special so I was a little upset I wasn't able to get to that match. It will be incredibly special to be able to play him at least once in my career and on a big stage like quarters of a slam would be a ton of fun."

This is the second time that Sandgren has reached the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam - the first time also came in Melbourne Park in 2018 - "Getting to play in a big stadium in front of a lot of people - because I've played a lot of tennis in front of very few people - that seems to bring out the best tennis in me. Getting the confidence to believe in myself, that I do actually belong on this stage, is crucial for competing because if you don't feel like you should be there, you're probably not going to play very well."

Roger Federer advanced to the quarter-finals on Sunday with a win four-set win over Márton Fucsovics. This will be the first meeting between the two players. The winner will advance to the semi-finals against defending champion Novak Djokovic or Canada's Milos Raonic.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2vnGpmI