Federer ready to repeat

MELBOURNE, Australia – Without the glare of the cameras, or the roar of an appreciative crowd, Roger Federer shanked forehands and hit some backhands long inside Rod Laver Arena.

His girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec, was with him at Melbourne Park’s center court, collecting wayward balls as Federer hit with Swiss Davis Cup captain Serevin Luethi.

That’s as close as the 12-time Grand Slam champion got to a match situation this week before beginning his bid for a third consecutive Australian Open title.

It’s a radically different buildup to the tournament for Federer.

Unable to enter his regular tuneup, the Kooyong exhibition tournament, because of a stomach illness, Federer has been easing himself back into shape for his first competitive tennis in two months.

Federer isn’t worried, saying he wouldn’t have hung around Melbourne if he didn’t believe he could win the Australian Open, which starts Monday.

“I definitely think it’s going to turn for the good and I’ll be 100 percent, really, before the tournament,” Federer said.

Even so, while Federer was hitting at Melbourne Park, his competitors have been playing matches.

No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the only player to beat Federer at a Grand Slam tournament in the last two seasons, reached the final at Chennai, India, last week. No. 3 Novak Djokovic helped Serbia reach the Hopman Cup final in Perth.

No. 6 Andy Roddick, who beat Federer in the Kooyong final last year before losing a one-sided semifinal at the Australian Open, defeated Marat Safin in the second round of Kooyong on Thursday.

“I can safely say none of us here are worried about Roger’s preparations for the Australian Open,” Roddick said. “I think I’ll sleep OK.”

Serena Williams faced a worse predicament last year. Her loss in Hobart the week before was among her worst and she entered the Australian Open ranked No. 81 and unseeded.

Yet she beat six seeded players en route to the final, capping it with a lopsided win over top-seeded Maria Sharapova.

Williams’ record at Melbourne Park almost rivals Federer’s, although it is more sporadic. She has lost only once since a quarterfinal defeat in 2001, although she has missed two trips because of injuries.

Federer is aiming to be the first man to win three consecutive Australian Opens in the Open era and wants to add to his run of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals.

To do it at Rod Laver Arena, which he has made his own, he’ll also have to contend with a new surface, the blue Plexicushion that replaced the Rebound Ace at Melbourne Park.

And while he’s had some practice on the new surface, competitors such as Roddick, Safin, Fernando Gonzalez and Marcos Baghdatis – the last two were runners-up in the Australian Open – have been getting match practice on the Plexicushion across town at Kooyong.

On the plus side for Federer is that three players who have beaten him more than once since he assumed the No. 1 ranking in 2004 also have not had match time on the new surface.

David Nalbandian had to withdraw from Kooyong after experiencing back spasms in a practice session.

Fellow Argentine Guillermo Canas is injured and out of the Australian Open, and Nadal has not played competitively since Chennai.