Roger Federer has said that he is "ready" to see how far he can go at the Australian Open after he produced a stunning performance to ease past Tomas Berdych in straight sets.
The world number 17 required just one hour 32 minutes to seal his place in the fourth round of the tournament, wrapping up a 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory in front of an enthralled Melbourne crowd.
Federer has only just returned from five months out of action with a knee injury and admitted after the match that he had "surprised" himself with the performance.
"I had no expectations," he said. "In practice things were going well. I always think practice is not that important, but I was winning tonnes of sets, which I am not sure was a good thing.
"I am happy it went as well as it did, and I'm happy to continue my run here even though I struggled in the early rounds. Today was great and I surprised myself."
Of his upcoming fourth-round encounter with Kei Nishikori, he added: "I guess I am ready now. I like Kei, I have always been a fan of his game, he is a nice kid, had a great few seasons. I have got my work cut out."
Federer has made at least the semi-final of the Australian Open in all but one of the last 13 years.
Neil Wilkes
