Tonight could be a historic night for Roger Federer as he takes on Milos Raonic in the final of the Brisbane International at the Pat Rafter Arena. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match from 8:00pm AEDT.
A win by the Fed Express tonight would bring him to 1000 career wins in the ATP world tour.
16 years and 103 days after winning his first match against Guillaume Raoux at the Toulouse Open, Federer has the chance to become just the third male tennis player to record 1000 victories.
A win tonight would join Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl as the only other men to achieve the feat.
It would also be another notch in an impressive belt for Federer.
This belt includes 17 Grand Slam titles, 1 Davis Cup, 1 Gold Medal, 1 Hopman Cup and 23 ATP Masters Titles. A 1000th win today would also be the 83rd ATP title for the Swiss Maestro.
It would also be his second non-Grand Slam tournament win in Australia. In 2002, as a 20 year old, Federer won the Sydney International.
Looking to stop him tonight will be Milos Raonic. The Canadian has had an incredible week of tennis, and won some intense matches to progress to the final.
It all started nicely with a 6-3 6-4 win over Mikhail Kukushkin in the 2nd round of the event. It then got tougher in the quarter final and the semi-final.
In those two matches, both went to three sets, with five of the six sets ending in tiebreakers. Against Australian Sam Groth, in the quarters, Raonic won both tiebreakers in the match to beat the unlucky Victorian.
Yesterday’s match against Nishikori had no breaks of serve as three tiebreakers were needed to resolve the clash.
Raonic would win two of them to book his spot in the final.
His 34 aces during the match were the difference between the two. Today he faces Federer who was destructive in his last two matches.
After struggling against John Millman, in a three set match in the second round, Federer has bounced back in devastating style.
In the quarters he won 6-0 6-1 against James Duckworth before beating the world number 11, Grigor Dimitrov, 6-2 6-2 yesterday.
After conceding 13 games to Millman on Wednesday night, he has only lost 5 games since.
The key to the final tonight will be the serve. Both players have strong serves that are hard to break down.
During the tournament both players have only been broken three times. Federer was broken by Millman twice in the 2nd round match with Raonic broken by Groth in their quarter final clash.
If one player can control the others serve then they will take control of the match.
The other vital area of the game will be the movement of the two players.
Raonic – with his height – has a disadvantage in movement compared to Federer. Federer is one of the best movers in the game and will move Raonic around a lot in the match.
Raonic needs to finish points quickly, and provide plenty of power in the match. This will be the fascinating battle of the match.
Can Raonic hit enough winners in shorter points to overcome the movement of Federer?
In previous matches between the two, Raonic has failed to do that, with Federer dominating the head to head with seven wins out of the eight they have played.
Raonic, at the Paris Masters, broke a six game winning streak by the Fed Express over him.
This promises to be a tight match. Six of the eight matches between the two have had a tiebreaker in it. I expect one tonight and Raonic to potentially win a set against Federer.
In the last two days, Federer has hit form, and that form is good enough to beat almost everyone on the tour.
The Fed Express looks primed to win this tournament and bring up his 1000th win tonight.
Prediction: Roger Federer 2-1
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
That is it from me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow for the match between Stosur and Safarova. Until then it is bye from me. Bye.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
THOUGHTS In the preview I said this battle will be about the serve, and the power and movement of the two players. That prediction came true as it turned into a battle of those two areas. In the serve, Federer was on top, with more aces and points won on 1st serve. In the battle between movement and power, it was a fascinating battle between the two. For the first set and a half, Raonic struggled, as Federer controlled the match by moving him around the court. After Federer broke for 2-0 in the second set, Raonic attacked, and went for broke with his forehand. It yielded immediate results and the Canadian bounced back into the match. He then won the second set in a tiebreaker and the match went into a final set. The final set was the best in the match. The momentum changed consistently in the set and each player had chances to break and win the match. Eventually, as the set wore on, Raonic struggled to keep hitting winners and Federer got more comfortable on the serve. Raonic then had pressure on him at 5-4 down in the final set. He couldn't handle it as a double fault gave Federer a championship point. A netted forehand from Raonic gave Federer the historic win. It was a great match between the two players and both will be confident of a good showing at the Australian Open. If they continue this form then they will certainly go deep into the tournament. For tonight though Federer is the champion. He wins his first Brisbane International.
jamesb
Guest
It will be a sad day. He did say that will return next year for the Brisbane tournament.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Tennis will die in some way when he retires.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Roger Federer - COMMENTS "Special moment, no doubt about it." "I played a lot of tennis over the years, to bring up 1000 here, it means a lot to me." "I'd like to congratulate Milos, on a great year last year, and a great week this week." "I can't wait to come back here next year, it would be my dream."
jamesb
Guest
1000 wins, 83 titles. Federers had an awful career hasn't he.?
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
MATCH STATS - Aces - Federer 21 Raonic 14 Double Faults - Federer 0 Raonic 4 1st serve % - Federer 64% Raonic 54% 1st serve points won - Federer 51/64 Raonic 44/58 2nd serve points won - Federer 19/36 Raonic 27/50 Break Points Saved - Federer 5/6 Raonic 4/7
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
That is the 83rd career title for Federer. It is his first Australian tournament win - not in a grand slam - since Sydney in 2002.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
A forehand from Raonic goes into the net. Roger Federer is the champion at the Brisbane International. 1000 CAREER WINS. What a superstar. A legend of the game. FEDERER 6 6 6 RAONIC 4 7 4
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
A double fault from Raonic hands Federer a championship point.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Raonic wins the next point for 30-15. Federer plays an amazing lob to win the next point. 30-30.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Ace. 15-15.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Raonic hits a forehand long. Federer has 0-15. Three points away from the title.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Raonic must now hold serve to stay in the match.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer holds to 15 and leads 5-4 in the final set. FEDERER 6 6 5 RAONIC 4 7 4
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Raonic responds with an easy hold of his own. He holds to love. FEDERER 6 6 4 RAONIC 4 7 4
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer holds to 15 and has an easy service game. He leads 4-3. FEDERER 6 6 4 RAONIC 4 7 3
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Raonic holds on. He wins the next two points to hold serve. 3 games all. This set has gone for 42 minutes. FEDERER 6 6 3 RAONICE 4 7 3
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Federer saves the game point. Deuce again. This is a big game.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
A big first serve, and a big forehand winner from a Federer return, gives Raonic a game point.