ROD LAVER admired Roger Federer's work last night in the arena that bears his name. But the all-time great with the vested interest was on the other side of the globe - a man named Pete Sampras.
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After a routinely impressive 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 semi-final victory over Andy Roddick, Federer will attempt to equal Sampras's all-time record of 14 grand slam titles when he plays the winner of tonight's semi-final between the Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco in Sunday night's final.
As he put Roddick to the sword, defusing the big serve of the American who was left to score most of his points in a running battle with the chair umpire, there was good reason to believe Sampras would have to make room for the great Swiss on the top of the grand slam ladder.
If 14 is the vital number, Federer has already clocked some impressive figures on his way to Sunday night's decider. Playing his 19th consecutive grand slam semi-final, he reached his 18th grand slam final - equal with Sampras and just one behind record holder Ivan Lendl. Which is only part of the reason why the Swiss is a museum exhibit at just 27.
"To be completely honest, you dream of playing the big tournaments, your first dream is, I guess, to win Wimbledon and if [your first victory] comes around it is too good to be true," said Federer of his vast achievements. "But to dominate tennis and play at this level for so long, it's something I never thought of, so that's why I'm living the dream."
If Nadal beats Verdasco as most expect, the Australian Open will host a compelling showdown between the game's two pre-eminent players on the hard-court surface that might be as close to neutral territory for the pair as any grand slam venue. It would be the latest instalment in what has become a compelling rivalry and the first at an Australian Open.
"Of course it would be fantastic," Federer said. "But first he has to play that match. Fernando is a dangerous man. But I'm just excited to be through to another final."
Even if Nadal falters, Federer's attempt to equal Sampras's record by winning a fourth title here after a year in which he endured a strong challenge from the game's new guard will still be compelling. Having won the US Open and Australian Opens back-to-back, last year's relative decline - a mere one grand slam title and defeats in the finals of Wimbleon and the French Open - would seem a mere stumble.
As it is, having followed his unusually sloppy fourth-round match against Tomas Berdych with stellar back-to-back performances against Juan Martin Del Potro and Roddick, Federer has quickly responded to the quite reasonable questions raised last year, and in the very early part of this one, about whether he could ever regain his iron grip on the game.
Although, given Del Potro's inexperience and the domination of his contemporary Roddick, it would take a victory over Nadal in the final to allow the world No.2 Federer to be able claim with any conviction he is the game's rightful No.1.
Entering last night's match, Federer had a 14-2 record against Roddick, with hopes of a closer match than the Swiss's 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 demolition of him in their 2007 semi-final here pinned on the fact the American had arrived in Melbourne reinvigorated by new coach Larry Sefanki and had defending champion Novak Djokovic well beaten in their quarter-final before the Serbian retired due to heat exhaustion.
But instead of a match between relative equals, the early stages proved more of a surgical procedure with the Swiss picking apart the American with his languid strokes and Roddick unable to rely even on his big serve to gain easy points - as when he served a 223kmh thunderbolt at break point in the first set, only to watch the ball come back at him, hard and flat.
It did not help the American's mood that, after Federer had made consecutive successful Hawk-Eye challenges, the umpire deemed that he did not have a play on the second and awarded the Swiss the point. Roddick was still muttering his complaints at the change of ends but, as Federer continued to dominate, he was wasting his breath. Never more so when the American challenged a call, then immediately conceded: "Not even I think that was in."
Unable to the change Federer's momentum, Roddick was only able to delay the inevitable as he clung to serve until deep into both the second and third sets. However, it only ever seemed a mater of time - two hours and seven minutes - before Federer prevailed. Again Roddick was history. Again Federer has the chance to make it.
