Four and a half years without a Grand Slam title is a long time to wait for a legend of the sport. But that is exactly the position the-then 17-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer found himself in entering the 2017 Australian Open after six months on the sidelines due to a knee injury. One year later, and Federer is just three matches away from a staggering 20th major title.
Federer is the only remaining player in the draw with a Top 5 spot in the ATP Rankings, but he confronts a familiar foe Wednesday in former World No. 4 Tomas Berdych.
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following quarter-finals match-ups at the Australian Open & vote for the players you think will win!
Federer v Berdych | Chung v Sandgren
[GROUP POLL]100[/GROUP POLL]
"We have had some good ones over the years," said Federer. "I'm looking forward to playing against him. He seems in good shape, and I'm happy he's over his back issues that he also had at the end of last year. That's a good thing."
The last men’s quarter-final at the Australian Open will be the 26th instalment of a rivalry that began more than 13 years ago. Federer leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head series 19-6 and has won their past eight meetings. Berdych’s last victory over the World No. 2 came nearly five years ago at the 2013 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. At the time, that was Berdych’s fifth win in eight matches against Federer as the Czech enjoyed a patch of success in the rivalry between 2010 and 2013.
FedEx ATP Head2Head Series: Roger Federer vs. Tomas Berdych (Past Five Matches)
| Year | Event | Round | Winner | Score |
| 2017 | Wimbledon | SF | Roger Federer | 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 |
| 2017 | Miami Open presented by Itaú | QF | Roger Federer | 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(6) |
| 2017 | Australian Open | R32 | Roger Federer | 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2016 | Australian Open | QF | Roger Federer | 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2015 | Nitto ATP Finals | RR | Roger Federer | 6-4, 6-2 |
“If there is any plan or any key to success [to beating Federer], then I would like to know that," said Berdych. "I'm definitely going to go out there, try my best, try to play good tennis, and believe myself that I can do it. I did it in the past, and also, I did it at the Slams, so I know how it is to beat him over the best-of-five sets. But, obviously, he’s an extremely tough opponent.”
Federer met Berdych on three occasions in 2017 (Australian Open, Miami and Wimbledon) and came out of each match with a victory. But there is cause for concern for the defending champion — Berdych held two match points in their encounter at the Miami Open presented by Itaú before Federer emerged with the win, and later that week the title, last March.
Berdych has reached the last eight in emphatic style, with just 17 games lost in his past two matches to beat 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and 25th seed Fabio Fognini. The Czech has beaten Federer twice at the Grand Slam level before at The Championships at Wimbledon in 2010 and the 2012 US Open, but it will take an incredible effort to produce a third upset on Rod Laver Arena.
Federer’s bid for a 20th Grand Slam title is just three matches from becoming a reality, but can Berdych, searching for a maiden Grand Slam championship crown, upset the odds and book a spot in the semi-finals? We will find out on Wednesday night.
Did you know?
Roger Federer is fifth all-time in the Infosys ATP Stats Leaderboards Serve Category against Top 20 opponents with a career serve rating of 299.6.