Federer stands alone as Aussie favorite

MELBOURNE, Australia – Roger Federer, who handles his status and his racket with equal composure, again is an overwhelming favorite at the injury-depleted Australian Open that starts Monday.

“I’m used to it,” the 24-year-old Swiss star said this week. “Red hot or hot favorite – it really doesn’t matter.”

The women’s draw is stacked with potential winners, including top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, second-ranked Kim Clijsters, defending champion Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and three others who’ve held the No. 1 ranking.

Even Federer’s Swiss compatriot, Martina Hingis, who won three and lost three Australian Open finals in a six-year span until retiring in 2002, has returned for another shot at the title.

But as Clijsters said: “In women’s tennis, there is no Ms. Federer.”

Federer would have been favored anyway. But now he’s in a league of his own, since the men’s field is missing defending champion Marat Safin, second-ranked Rafael Nadal and four-time winner Andre Agassi.

Federer is self-assured without being arrogant, on or off the court.

“I don’t have to raise the bar” to keep winning, said Federer, who has held the No. 1 ranking since February 2004. “I have to stay hungry – that’s not too hard.”

Federer has lost twice in the past six Grand Slam tournaments, dating back to Wimbledon 2004. Both his conquerors decided they weren’t in any kind of shape to repeat such a feat at Melbourne Park.

Safin was lauded for his unpredictable genius when he upset Federer in last year’s semifinals and went on to beat local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the final.

Nadal was at his precocious peak when he overcame Federer on the red Roland Garros clay one match before he clinched the French Open title.

Safin and Nadal pulled out with lingering knee and foot injuries, leaving Andy Roddick and Hewitt as Federer’s main rivals.

But Federer is 10-1 against Roddick, and has won his last nine matches against Hewitt. Asked what it’s like to lead a chasing pack, the second-seeded Roddick said he’s resigned to it.

“It might be Roger versus the field, but for the rest of us, it’s us versus our first-round opponent,” Roddick said. “He obviously made it like that by playing so well over the last couple of years.”

Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open winner, is at the opposite end of the draw.

Yet that’s hardly comforting for Roddick. Federer has won their past five meetings – all finals, including back-to-back championship matches at Wimbledon.

Federer won 11 titles and was 81-4 in 2005.