Shock results good for sport, says Federer

MELBOURNE: Roger Federer said the new vulnerability of tennis’s “top guys” was good for the sport as he avoided becoming yet another Australian Open casualty on Sunday.

On a day when world number one Andy Murray joined six-time winner Novak Djokovic on the sidelines, Federer advanced to the quarter-finals.

The Federer resurgence claimed the scalp of Japan’s world number five Kei Nishikori over five gruelling sets and he will now play Murray’s conqueror Mischa Zverev in the last eight.

Federer backed up his astonishingly easy win over Tomas Berdych with a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Nishikori that moves him closer to a surprise 18th Grand Slam title.

With no Murray and Djokovic in the draw, Federer’s chances have immeasurably improved and given new belief to the others that they can go on and win the year’s first major.

With Federer and his long-time Slam rival Rafael Nadal, the final member of tennis’s former ‘Big Four’, rolling back the years, the Swiss maestro said the shock results have been good for the sport.”