Janko Tipsarevic may not be as well known as his compatriot Novak Djokovic on the global stage, but in Australia he is remembered as the man who almost dumped Roger Federer in the third round of the Australian Open 2008.
A packed Rod Laver arena crowd watched intensely, jaws hitting their laps, for four hours and 27 minutes before Federer eventually shut the door on Tipsarevic with a 10-8 scoreline in the fifth set.
In 2009, Serbia’s men’s No.2 has returned to Melbourne Park with his first ATP Top 50 ranking after making steady progress in 2008, and has found he is not so anonymous.
“I learnt a lot from last year’s experience. I like to play in Australia … There are a lot of Serbian fans here who know me now, so I have support and I have a feeling like I am at home,” a relaxed Tipsarevic explained.
On the eve of his first round match, he admitted to not knowing much about his opponent, having never played Spain’s Oscar Hernandez before.
“When you say ‘Spanish’, the first association that you have in your mind is clay. So, Hernandez is no different; his game is about playing very far from the baseline, playing heavy top-spin.
“I need to stay aggressive, I don’t need to chase or give him time to think … If I start pressing him from the beginning, then I think I am a big favourite to win the match.”
An opening-round win could see Tipsarevic play world No. 19 Marin Cilic, and a good result against the recently-crowned Chennai Open champion could see him move onto bigger and better things.
“I definitely like playing more on big courts. The good thing is that I am not afraid of them, I don’t have a fear from big names or centre courts and I am not afraid to beat players on them.”
After losing to Lleyton Hewitt in the third round of the Sydney International last week, Tipsarevic said he was most worried about the Australian summer.
“When I finished my match against Lleyton, I was so frustrated (that) I said to my coach, ‘Next three practices in Melbourne, I want to practice from 12 in the afternoon till 3’, the hottest part of the day.
“I definitely need to learn how to deal with the heat, because if I am the kind of player who can not play in these circumstances, then I’m never going to be in the top.”
Does the friendly Serb think he can take out the Australian Open crown this year?
“That is very hard, but I definitely know that I can beat on hard court anybody in the world - if I play good (and) if I stay focused for the whole match.
“To be on top, it is a matter of having the same feeling that you can beat anyone in the world throughout the set, match, tournament, part of the year and whole season. And then season after season. The longer you can hold it, the better you are going to be and the more tournaments you will win.”
And while being on top and showing the world what he can do is high on Tipsarevic’s to-do list, he has to survive today first.
“It doesn’t really matter if you have 15,000 people watching you or five. It’s just you and the other guy, and if you improve in the tournament and progress, then sooner than later you will get a chance to play in the big stage and have a chance for the world to see you.”
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