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When was the last time you saw Roger Federer take a medical timeout during a match? Well, that is exactly what happened last night and Federer says that the break actually helped him mentally quite a bit.

More: It Will be an All-Williams Affair on Saturday at the Australian Open

Here is what he said about the break, which he took after the fourth set of his 7-5, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, 6-3 win over Stan Wawrinka.

Q. You said on the court you never take the timeouts. That's kind of a new turn for you. Did it help to give you a chance to clear your head before the fifth set?

ROGER FEDERER: Yeah, I mean, I think these injury timeouts, I think they're more mental than anything else. Okay, normally you would have to do it on court. If you do groin or something like that, or a tape way up there, you have to go off court.

For the first time maybe during a match you can actually talk to someone, even if it's just a physio. We know him well. It maybe relaxed Stan, you know, just to be able to talk about I don't know what. The same thing for me, as well. You start chatting about it, how good or bad the leg is, how you hope it's going to turn around. That can leave a positive effect on you when you come back.

I only really did take the timeout because I thought, He took one already, maybe I can take one for a change, because I'm not a believer in any way that we should be allowed to take a lot of timeouts. But I took it after the set break.

Yeah, people know I don't abuse the system. I hope it's going to stay that way in the future for me, too.


Of course it was Wawrinka who nearly turned the match around after his medical timeout after the second set. He was struggling and had just cracked a racquet over his knee after surrendering a break in the sixth game of the second set. Wawrinka’s knee was an issue, but the Swiss came back with a vengeance after his interlude.

Wawrinka said what everyone watching the match believed to be true: He got his timeout early in the match, so Federer was well within his rights to take his timeout when he needed it as well.

Q. Did his medical timeout, the timing of it, stop your momentum a little bit?

STAN WAWRINKA: No, I don't think so. Anyway it's a set break, so it's a longer break. I took one when I need it. We both know each other. We're not the player who took extra medical timeout. If we take it, it's because we need it.

I took it when I need it; he took it when he need it. I went to the toilet in the same time. If you look in the end, the fifth set, I had some opportunity at the beginning. I don't think it didn't affect anything on the score.


According to Svenja Mastroberardi of SRF Sport, Federer has confirmed that his injury is an adductor injury and it has been bothering him all week:

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