When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Roger Federer was knocked out of the Australian Open after suffering an unexpected fourth round defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas, 20, came into the tournament as 14th seed but beat Federer 6-7 (11-13) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 7-6 (7-5) to reach the quarter-finals. And the Swiss ace sparked speculation about his retirement after appearing to emotionally wave goodbye to the crowd as he headed for the locker room. Federer is still searching for his 21st Grand Slam but many fans have speculated that this could be the 37-year-old’s final Australian Open.<doc-sep>During Stefanos Tsitsipas’s post-match interview on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, a fan in the crowd shouted out “Greek freak!” It wasn’t a sledge, despite Australia’s long and distinguished history in this area. Instead – as Tsitsipas immediately acknowledged – this was a reference to a Greek-Nigerian basketballer who goes by the same alias. “All we need is [Giannis] Antetokounmpo,” replied Tsitsipas, taking the interruption in good heart. At 6ft 4in, Tsitsipas is not such an unusual physical specimen as Antetokounmpo, an NBA playmaker who stands seven inches taller. But there is something uncanny about his poise – both with the racket and in front of the microphone – that makes it hard to believe he is only 20. After moving into the semi-finals with another spectacular performance, this new “Greek freak” told reporters that he aspires to deliver the complete tournament. In other words, he wants to become the first man to defeat the three greatest players of this or any other era – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at the same slam. “I’m happy to play with these opponents,” said Tsitsipas. “I think they make me better and I learnt many things playing against them. I hope it happens [because] I have nothing to lose. There are only positives.”<doc-sep>Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas Key Highlights Federer came through in straight sets, shutting out the challenge of American Taylor Fritz. Tsitsipas scored a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 win over Basilashvili. The Swiss and Greek haven't played each other in a Tour-level match, but met across the net in the Hopman Cup a couple of weeks ago. MELBOURNE: When the 14th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on defending champion Roger Federer , it'll be a battle of generations, a clash of styles. The leader of the old guard versus one of the front-runners of ATP's next generation. An Australian Open fourth-round meeting. A baton exchange zone, possibly. Federer, seeded three, came through in straight sets, shutting out the challenge of American Taylor Fritz . There were explosions of not just shot-making ability echoing across the grounds from Tsitsipas' clash with the 19th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili . The 20-year-old Greek had a meltdown in the third set when serving at 5-3, he let out a string of expletives in Greek and then delayed a point. He was slapped with two code violations "His call (umpire's) was much later, after my opponent made the return. I found this very unfair," Tsitsipas, who scored a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 win, said, "I let it all out. I think the umpire's decision was not right, but it was important that I let this pass. I was a bit frustrated for a couple of games, but then I stayed positive. I started thinking, let's not just destroy everything and concentrate on the tiebreak." The Swiss and Greek haven't played each other in a Tour-level match, but met across the net in the Hopman Cup a couple of weeks ago. "This is obviously a different type of match, it being best-of-five, it being the fourth-round of a Slam," Federer, who came through in two tie-break sets in Perth, weighed in. "He's playing well, I like how he mixes up his game and also comes to the net. We will see athletic attacking tennis being played." "I learned a lot since my last match with him at the (Hopman Cup)," Tsitsipas said. "I know the patterns that he's using a bit better now. He's serving really well, so I'm going to have to utilize my returns as much as possible. My return games need to be aggressive and I must press a lot." Tsitsipas, a Federer fan growing up, said: "It's insane I'm in this position where I can actually play him. It's really emotional." "It's not easy to play these kind of players, who you've been watching for so long and you finally get to play them. Mentally, you have to be much stronger than any other match that you have faced that week," he said. "Having such a name like Federer on the other side, it's an extra, I would say, advantage for him, because he's done what he's done. But mentally, for players to beat him, they have to be ready and believe in themselves."<doc-sep>“He did a nice job of taking care of his half volleys,” Federer said. “That’s maybe what won him the match tonight, I’m not sure.” Perhaps pride kept Federer from equivocating. The difference in the match was Tsitsipas’s youthful energy, which he oozed with his every Tigger-like step. Federer simply couldn’t match it from the first point to the last, a backhand that he netted. Federer wasted no time after the match completing his media responsibilities, leaving the clear impression that he couldn’t put this loss in his rearview mirror fast enough. His eyes grew glassy as his news conference wore on, as if his feelings about the loss had traveled from his mouth to his marrow. “I have massive regrets, you know, tonight,” said Federer, who also announced he intended to play some events on clay this spring after skipping clay-court season the past two years. “I might not look the part, but I am. I felt like I have to win the second set. I don’t care how I do it, but I have to do it.” Tsitsipas, who trains at the academy of Patrick Mouratoglou, whose best-known pupil is the 23-time major winner Serena Williams, was proud of the mental toughness he showed in fending off a dozen break points in all. “I could have cracked at any moment,” he said, “but I didn’t because I really wanted it bad.” Tsitsipas said he believed from the first point that he could pull off the upset and described the victory as “a beginning of something really big.” Tsitsipas broke onto the scene last year by reaching the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto in August, defeating four top-10 players, including Novak Djokovic, on the way.<doc-sep>
In press conference at the Australian Open Serena Williams commented on Stefanos Tsitsipas's four-set win over Roger Federer in Melbourne. The American player praised the 20-year-old Greek who she is starting to know very well. 'We trained together like a couple weeks ago now, and I see him at the academy, at Mouratoglou's academy, so it's always nice', said Serena. 'I thought it was an incredibly high-level match. I mean, I couldn't keep up. The balls were flying so fast. I just was wildly impressed with Stefanos. At the same time, you just don't root against Roger. It's kind of like a thing. So you always want to see him to do well no matter what. But it was a fantastic match to see. It's a shame there couldn't have been two winners.' On Serena's great return skills, Simona Halep said: 'It's not easy. It's frustrating a little bit during the match, but as we all know, I'm not a big server, so I have to go with that. Maybe I could change a little bit the direction of the serve to mix a little bit more, but I didn't. So, yeah, she's a great returner, and it's always tough to see her so close to the baseline and feel the pressure a little bit. It was not the worst match when I serve, how I served, so I served okay, but was not the best. So I think if I can improve in that direction more, I have a better chance.' ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title