On this day: Roger Federer downs Grigor Dimitrov to write ultimate Major history

The six-time champion Roger Federer won't compete at this year's Australian Open, struggling with a knee injury and delaying the return. On this day, five years ago, Federer wrote Major history, becoming the first player with 300 wins at the highest level of competition! The 3rd seed advanced into the fourth round for the 14th time Down Under, beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes. The third set aside, it was a tight encounter between two players with a similar style, offering the crowd a chance to enjoy an entertaining contest. Grigor had to deal with elbow problems but stayed until the end and gave his best in the fourth set, losing serve once to propel Roger over the top.

The Swiss drew first blood with a break at 3-3 and had three set points on the return at 5-3. Dimitrov saved those to remain within one break deficit and had a break chance in the next one, denied by Federer, who claimed the opener with an ace after 48 minutes. Roger didn't play that well in set number two, spraying 18 errors and getting broken at 1-2 to hand the set to the Bulgarian. Raising his level again, Federer saved all three break chances in sets three and four and produced three breaks of serve to move over the top and set the fourth-round clash with David Goffin.

Roger Federer became the first player with 300 Major wins at the Australian Open 2016.

"I don't know, it's inspiring, I must tell you. Like when I reached the 1,000th ATP win last year, it was a big deal for me. It's not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but it's very special when it happens. Yeah, you look deeper into it, I guess, where it's all happened and how. Yeah, so it's very nice. I'm pleased. My goal was to react quickly after the second set because I struggled a bit. When I found my way back, I was able to take charge. Conditions, again, were very different indoors than they were against Dolgopolov in the second round. Even night session plays differently. Just got to manage these conditions a bit. You know, I'm pleased, as it wasn't easy; I didn't expect it to be against Grigor," Roger Federer said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3pkus8k