Roger Federer: Rested Swiss Legend Will Cruise Past Ivo Karlovic

Roger Federer will make short work of a tall opponent in his third-round matchup with 6'10" Croatian Ivo Karlovic at the Australian Open. Federer advanced past his second-round match without hitting a ball after his opponent Andreas Beck couldn't compete because of a back injury.

At 30 years old, with almost 1000 ATP matches under his belt, the extra rest is a plus for Federer. This match will be the 998th of his legendary career—one that has seen him tally an astonishing 811-196 record with 16 Grand Slam titles, four of which came in Melbourne.

Federer has had great success against Karlovic in his career. In 10 matches, Federer is 9-1, winning in straight sets on five occasions. The only time Karlovic has defeated Federer was at the Masters Series in Cincinnati, OH in 2008.

Karlovic boasts a big-time serve (measured at 156mph, the fastest ever recorded) and tremendous reach, but Federer has worn the big man down in past matches. He has taken advantage of Karlovic's second serve. Indeed, while Karlovic has racked up the aces (13 in their last hard-court meeting), Federer has feasted on his second serve (45 percent return points won). The Fed will ride a similar strategy to victory again in this meeting.

Looking Ahead for Federer

It seems Federer and Rafael Nadal may be on a collision course for yet another epic showdown in the semifinals. Nadal is the second seed, while Federer is seeded third. Nadal has dominated the competition between the two, winning 17 of their 26 career meetings, but Federer did win their last matchup. What's more, it was a straight-sets blowout (6-3, 6-0) at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in England.

Both have potential tough matchups ahead of them before they can renew their rivalry. Federer would likely face Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the fourth round, while Nadal could face tough American John Isner or Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

It would be great to see these two renew their rivalry in a Grand Slam, especially as late as a semifinal match. First, Federer must take care of Karlovic, which he will do as he has nine times over.

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