Australian Open 2016: Roger Federer vs Grigor Dimitrov third round preview

Roger Federer will look to continue his winning ways at the 2016 Australian Open when he battles Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the first Grand Slam event of the year.

Federer is confident he can extend his run in this year’s Australian Open at Melbourne Park following another impressive win against Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 7-5 6-1 in the second round of the tournament. The Swiss Maestro, who is fine-tuning his game this year with new coach Ivan Ljubicic, revealed he has put in extra work to improve his serve, as well as his defence, which was in full show against Dolgopolov on Wednesday.

“There is always a different angle or something else you can work on or something that maybe you tend to forget sometimes,” Federer said, reports The Guardian. “It’s important to have an open mind. An extra per cent here, 5% overall can make a massive difference when you’re talking about trying to win a tournament.”

In last year’s Australian Open, Federer was eliminated in the third round by Italy’s Andreas Seppi, who faces world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the same half of the Swiss’ group bracket. Federer said he hopes to avoid another upset, this time in the hands of Dimitrov, but admitted he is “pumped up” to face another dangerous opponent.

“Grigor did well in Sydney and that definitely will give him a bit of a lift,” Federer said, reports The National. “He’s fit enough for a five-setter so I’ve gotta definitely bring my best game to the court.”

Meanwhile, Dimitrov, who struggled to put away Argentina’s Marco Trungelliti 6-3 4-6 6-2 7-5, will try to regain his status as one of the top players in the Open Era. Dimitrov, the former boyfriend of five-time Grand Slam champ Maria Sharapova, said he is looking forward to facing Federer, suggesting that a win against the 17-time Grand Slam winner could instantly change the course of his tennis career, reports Yahoo News.