Roger Federer Defeats Tsonga and Moves to Finals

Saturday, January 30, 2010 -- Roger Federer is stepping into his 22nd finals for a Grand Slam event after managing to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 match in a flawless show of skill at the Australian Open.

Federer hopes to achieve his fourth singles title at the Australian Open, and aims to bounce back from the tear-filled departure from the finals round of last year’s event. This was during his match against Rafael Nadal, Spain’s so-called tennis Superman.

This time, however, Federer will not be facing against Nadal, rather he will have to defeat Andy Murray. Murray, on the other hand, is driven by the need to gain a title after the Brits have suffered from a 74 year title-less run. This is the second final that Murray is in, after being defeated in the 2008 U.S. Open by the player he is set to go against in the final round.

According to Federer, “I know he’d like to win the first for British tennis since what is it, 150,000 years? … The poor guy who has to go through those moments over and over again…”

Moments later, Federer added more verbal shots towards Murray, “I don’t feel like the pressure’s really on me having to do it again, because I did it before… I think he really needs it more than I do. So I think the pressure’s big on him. We’ll see how he’s going to handle it. It’s not going to be easy for him, that’s for sure.”