Federer Upbeat Despite Defeat

by John

Roger Federer has insisted he is feeling positive about his game after reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Despite suffering a straight-sets defeat to Rafael Nadal to stop the prospect of meeting Stanislas Wawrinka in all-Swiss final, Federer has been left encouraged with how he performed at the first grand slam of the season.

After hiring Swedish legend Stefan Edberg during the winter, Federer produced some impressive tennis during his run in Melbourne, recording victories against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray on his way to the semi-finals. Coming up against the top seed, Nadal, Federer saw his Australian Open dreams ended for another year after going down 7-6 6-3 6-3 in a match which rocked the online betting odds.

Federer will now drop to eighth in the world rankings but was pleased how he had been able to play freely over the whole tournament, having recovered from a back problem for that plagued him for much of last season. The Swiss star also insisted he is confident his best form is still yet to come, and 2014 could well be the year Federer proves he still has plenty to offer the sport.

"It's very encouraging, no doubt," said the 17-time grand slam winner after his semi-final defeat to Nadal.

"Wish I could have won here tonight and given an all-Swiss final (against Stanislas Wawrinka). That's something I'll regret for a long time. But I think this is a very good start to the season for me overall. I played some really good tennis here. I still feel my best tennis is only ahead of me right now.”

The Swiss star had been written off this season by some but his performance in Melbourne showed there is still life yet in this old dog.