Roger Federer’s wife skips out on his post-match interview

ROGER Federer was put on the spot in his interview with Jim Courier as he looked to a suspiciously empty seat at Rod Laver Arena.

Switzerland's Roger Federer's wife Mirka (C) watches his game against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary during their men's singles fourth round match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE --

ROGER Federer advanced through to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 14th time with a clinical victory over Marton Fucsovics at Rod Laver Arena.

The World No. 2 was taken to a tiebreak in the second set but was simply too good for his 25-year-old opponent as he wrapped the match up 6-4 7-6 6-2 in two hours.

Federer’s post-match interview with Jim Courier had Melbourne Park in an uproar as the 19-time major winner realised his wife had departed the stadium before his chat with the Channel Seven commentator.

“So now you are done. It is almost 5:45pm. You will have press conferences, massage and all that stuff but you actually get a night off here. Is that dinner and dancing with Mirka?

What is the game plan for tonight?” Courier asked.

Federer: “(We’ll) probably be busy until about 9pm. We might go out for a nice dinner

if she’s in the mood ... but she has left already so she has other plans!”

Federer will be facing Berdych for the 26th time overall in Wednesday’s last eight match, holding a 19-6 lead over him dating back to 2004.

🇨🇭 @rogerfederer has a night off, how will he spend it?

'Mirka and I might go out for a nice dinner...

*looks over to players box*

Nope, she's left already she's got other plans'

😂❤️#7Tennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Jb9XFdgJFP

— #7TENNIS 🎾 (@7tennis) January 22, 2018

The 19-time Grand Slam champion, who hasn’t lost in four matches against Berdych in Melbourne, won’t be taking the big-serving Czech for granted nor relying solely on past performances.

“I did watch a little bit of Tomas’s win against Fabio Fognini today and I saw a little bit of him against Juan Martin del Potro,” he said.

“For me, I think personally it is important to see a little bit just because he might be using different weapons this week.

“He might be taking the ball earlier or later or serving different patterns, so it’s good to know.

“Of course, the coaches are going to get more in depth into Tomas’s game, and I will absorb the information that I get back from them.

“But sometimes it is good to see for myself a little bit, because I have the feeling of having played him but also see him play. I think that combination is important for a player.” - Clean and solid - Federer chalked up his 52nd Grand Slam quarter-final in beating Fucsovics, the most in the post-1968 Open Era.

36 years old and not a single set dropped in four matched. Freak.

Mirka baking under the Melbourne sun.

It was the Swiss legend’s first meeting with the Hungarian, who spent a few days in the off-season training with him in Switzerland.

“I thought he played very well. It was fast conditions, you have to have quick ideas and execute well and I thought he did that very well,” Federer said of his unheralded opponent.

“Being two sets down is never easy, but I thought he was playing very clean, solid and I had a hard time breaking through until two sets and a break up.” Federer’s latest victory was his 91st in Melbourne to make the Australian Open his joint most successful Grand Slam in terms of matches won along with Wimbledon.

He wasn’t expected to encounter too much trouble with Fucsovics and so it proved with three service breaks, and no break points on his own service along with 34 winners.

Federer is coming off an extraordinary 2017, when he won a fifth Australian Open title and a record eighth at Wimbledon, after returning from an injury lay-off.

The 36-year-old is bidding to win his 20th Grand Slam title and is the oldest man to reach the last eight at a major since American Jimmy Connors (39 years) at the 1991 US Open.

It was in Melbourne a year ago where he lit the fuse on his late-life tennis renaissance, beating Berdych, Kei Nishikori, Mischa Zverev and Stan Wawrinka before downing great rival Rafael Nadal in a five-set final classic.

— with AFP