Andreas Seppi says his win over Roger Federer at the Australian Open is the most important of his career.
The 30-year-old Italian was 0-10 against Federer entering their third-round match. "Yeah, of course. It's first time I beat him. I beat once Nadal in Rotterdam when he was No. 2 in the world. Was also a big win," he said. "To have this win in my career, it's for sure something big, yeah."
Federer's accomplishments and their repeated encounters gave his performance extra significance, he added, saying, "So step on court against him for me is always something special. Yeah, it's always different than against anyone else."
Seppi said he would be inspired by the victory, seeing it as a reflection of his experience and ability. "Now I know that I can handle also some very difficult moments or some big pressure. Maybe I'm a little bit more mature, you know, on court. Especially, yeah, I know myself a little bit better. Yeah, it's for sure a big confidence for the next upcoming matches," he said.
The former Top 20 player hit a winner against Federer at net on match point, saying he did not even know how he reached the ball.
He next plays Australia's Nick Kyrgios.