Australian Open: Federer has 'low expectations', Osaka vows to block negatives

Swiss great says he has to get match-ready as quickly as possible

MELBOURNE: Roger Federer might have won 20 Grand Slams and six Australian Open titles but the Swiss great Saturday insisted he had "low expectations" at the first Major of the season.

The 38-year-old crowd favourite has yet to play a competitive match this year, opting out of the recent ATP Cup to spend more time with his family.

The team event in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney provided Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with six high-intensity clashes heading into Melbourne Park, and Federer knows he has his back to the wall.

Seeded three, he has a tricky clash against 81st-ranked American Steve Johnson first up.

"I'm happy to be back in Australia. I'm happy to be playing here, of course, I love it," said Federer, who has returned for a 21st Australian Open campaign.

"Look, it's a tricky situation right now playing somebody who has just played a lot this week. He's ready to go. He's match-ready and I'm not," he added of Johnson. "I got to really make sure I get out of the gates quick."

Osaka vows to block out negatives

Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka said Saturday that 2019 was the "toughest year of my life" after the Japanese ploughed through several coaches and suffered a major dip in form.

The 22-year-old began last year in spectacular fashion, winning in Melbourne for back-to-back Grand Slam titles and soaring to the top of the world rankings.

But she then exited Roland Garros in the third round and Wimbledon in the first round, and her defence of her US Open crown similarly fell flat.

The Japanese roared back with titles in her native city of Osaka and then in Beijing in the autumn, and in December hired the Belgian Wim Fissette as her coach — her fourth in less than a year.

The world number three, who faces Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in her opener in Melbourne, said she was "in a better head space" compared to 12 months ago, and playing better tennis.

"But honestly, last year was the toughest year of my life, so I would hope it gets better," Osaka added.

Australian Open sets air pollution limit

Australian Open organisers Saturday introduced a scaled air quality rating to determine when play can be suspended following stinging criticism after days of toxic smoke during qualifying.

Air quality in Melbourne was among the worst on the planet on Tuesday and only marginally better Wednesday because of smoke from bushfires that have devastated huge swathes of the country.

Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic was forced to retire from her match after a distressing coughing fit, while Britain's Liam Broady claimed "multiple" players needed asthma medication.

Broady also was seething over what he considered a lack of clarity on the decision-making process about when to suspend play. "The more I think about the conditions we played in a few days ago the more it boils my blood," he said.

In the wake of the backlash, organisers Saturday unveiled a five-step "air quality rating" based on pollutants measured by monitoring stations throughout Melbourne Park.