Tomic has called Federer his favorite player and now gets another shot at the Swiss, who showed him the door with a fourth-round thrashing last year. The 43rd-ranked Aussie looks like he'd rather bob and weave than stand and slug. But just when you think he's cornered, he’ll unload a staggering shot. He can blast his backhand and his rapid-action serve — he seems to strike the toss on the rise — is a weapon tough to read. He has not dropped serve and is serving 71 percent with 32 aces in two matches.
Tomic plays his best tennis Down Under. The 20-year-old Aussie was impressive defeating No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Hopman Cup exhibition earlier this month and served notice he's ready for Roger: "'I'm ready. I mean, I'm not going to say, I don't have the belief," Tomic said. "I do have the belief now."
The 6’5” Tomic isn’t as quick as Federer, but he’s seldom looked rushed breezing to a seven-match winning streak, including his first ATP title in his first Tour-level final in Sydney earlier this month. Tomic has bamboozled seeds here before, but beating Federer with finesse is like trying to take down Shakespeare in Scrabble.
Look at how Federer performs facing talented players in their home majors — Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open, Gael Monfils at the French Open and Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open — and notice he almost always bursts out of the blocks quickly to take charge and mute the home crowd. Tomic relishes these moments, but Federer is playing for his record-extending 250th major victory for a reason — 11 consecutive fourth-round appearances here means he usually wins these early tests — and while the rematch may excite, I favor the four-time champion.
THE PICK: FEDERER IN THREE SETS
- (13) MILOS RAONIC vs. (17) PHILIPP KOHLSCHREIBER
Third Round; Court 3, fourth match
Head-to-head: First meeting