I want more majors: Djokovic

Novak Djokovic belted out Serbian folk songs in an all-in party after clinching the Australian Open, but shrugged off a poor night's sleep to focus on more glory on the clay courts of Roland Garros.

"We brought two Serbian guys who played our traditional music for two hours ... We went out of the changing room at 2AM. That's all I remember," said a glassy-eyed Djokovic of celebrations at Melbourne Park after his stunning straight-sets victory over Briton Andy Murray.

"I was carrying myself plus my bags and the trophy," he told a small group of reporters on Monday.

"I was handling myself under the circumstances quite good ... I could not really sleep because I was still under the great impression of winning a title, so it was hard because of the excitement."

Wearing jeans and a polo shirt on a sweltering day, the lanky 23-year-old looked a little worse for wear as he sat next to the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the MCG.

He perked up enough to gush about having hit his stride after fighting years of doubt as a 'one-slam wonder' since taking his first major title at Melbourne Park in 2008.

"It's been a period of ups and downs for me the last three years ... I haven't had that consistency and self-belief that I've needed to," he said.

"Right now and the last six months, I feel that I've reached that stage that I believe that I can really win it.

"In last two months I'm probably playing the best tennis of my life and I cannot ask for a better start to the season. To be able to win the grand slam gives you a lot of confidence."

Djokovic set up his title with a semi-final trouncing of Roger Federer, and his domination of Murray has fuelled talk of a new grand slam triumvirate, with the Serbian tipped to share more of the majors spoils with the Swiss master and Spaniard Rafa Nadal.

While flattered, the Belgrade-born baseliner says he still needs to prove himself on all surfaces to feel comfortable about the compliment.

"If the people want to call me a part of the big three, then that's great," he said.

"I have big respect for Federer and Nadal, they are great examples of champions on and off the court in every sense.

"If I want to become the best player in the world, I will have to win more grand slams," added Djokovic, who has never surpassed the semi-finals at Roland Garros or Wimbledon.

"But yes, my goal you can say is (not only) to do well on clay, but to do my best result on Roland Garros."

After beating Murray under the floodlights at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic dedicated his victory to Serbia, drawing roars of approval from rows of countrymen clad in red, white and blue in the stands.

Djokovic, who led Serbia to an emotional victory in the Davis Cup over France in December, grew up through the Balkan wars that ravaged the country and says the bitter times continue to spur him on as a player.

"We've been growing up through two wars. When you turn around and analyse what you have been through, you appreciate some things more in your life and you know what your values are," he said.

"Of course everybody loves their country. I don't love my country more than you love yours, but in my case it's a more special feeling because we've been through something different.

"So to be able to help those people who I know how much they've suffered - and they still suffer because of some problems - it's our obligation in some way to give support and present as best we can."

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Injured Nadal aims for quick recovery

MELBOURNE: Rafael Nadal is looking to put behind him the despair of missing a cherished 'Rafa Slam' and recover from his Australian Open injury setback to again rule men's tennis.

The world number one was in tears late in his injury-ruined quarterfinal on Wednesday with Spanish friend David Ferrer as he realised his quest for a fourth straight non-calendar year Grand Slam victory was over.

Although he refused to dwell on the injury out of respect for Ferrer's unexpectedly easy 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 victory, he told Spanish reporters that he may have torn a muscle during the match.

Nadal sought a medical timeout after a fiercely-contested second game of the match when his serve was broken following a marathon 22 points.

When he reappeared on Rod Laver Arena his upper left thigh was bandaged and there were reports that he had a hamstring injury.

But Nadal gave away few details at his post-match news conference, out of deference for close friend Ferrer who now faces a semifinal with last year's runner-up Andy Murray on Friday.

By a quirk of fate, Nadal also pulled out of last year's quarterfinal with Murray with knee trouble on the same Australia Day national holiday in his only other injury retirement at a Grand Slam.

Although the severity of his injury is not known, Nadal faced questions last year about his playing future when the knee tendinitis kept him off the tour until March.

He went on to string together the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open crowns and came to Melbourne looking to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to own all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

An emotional Nadal was able to put a positive slant on his latest problem, after last year's astonishing run when he became the youngest player in the Open era at 24 to complete a career Grand Slam.

"Last year I had a fantastic year," Nadal said. "Last year in the beginning I had problems, too, and finally it was the best season of my career.

"I think is almost impossible to repeat that. I had really good moments and at the same time some really negative moments.

"So this is one of bad ones, one of the negative moments. That's part of the sport. I think I am a very lucky sportsman to have what has happened in my career.

"And I have to accept the fantastic moments that I've had during the years the same way as when I have problems.

"If I am ready to accept both the highs and lows as the same, then I am going to be able to come back and play my best tennis again."

Nadal has entered the Indian Wells tournament in California from March 7-20 along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

But straight after his match Nadal said he was not sure when he would next appear on the ATP Tour.

"I don't know yet. I have to think a little bit about everything and we will see what's going on in the next weeks," he said.

Nadal said he hated injury retirements and had sour memories of his Australia Day pull-out at last year's Australian Open.

"I hate the retirements. I did it here last year. I hate that moment. I didn't want to repeat that," he said.

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Nadal ramps up form ahead of quarters

MELBOURNE: World number one Rafael Nadal sent out a warning to his rivals that he's back in business ahead of Wednesday's Australian Open quarterfinal with David Ferrer.

Nadal, bidding for a fourth straight major title to complete a non-calendar year 'Rafa Slam', tagged Monday's straight-sets win over Marin Cilic in the fourth round as his best in the tournament and declared he was healthy.

That's all foreboding news for compatriot and seventh seed Ferrer for their quarterfinal, which guarantees a Spaniard will play in the semifinals.

In Wednesday's other quarter, last year's finalist Andy Murray has an intriguing match-up with Ukrainian giant-killer Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Nadal had been troubled by a virus he picked up in Doha on his way to Australia but there was no sign of his massive sweating in the previous match as he ratcheted up his level against last year's semifinalist Cilic.

"I feel I played my best match by far at this year's Open. I think it was a very good match for me and a very important victory," Nadal said. "I was able to play with high intensity, very good rhythm, playing more inside the court."

Nadal has a 11-3 record over Ferrer, who beat the world number one twice in 2007, including a four-set fourth round victory at the US Open.

"We know each other well. We've played each other a lot of times. I think he's a fantastic player for many years so I have all respect for him," Nadal said.

"I know it's going to be a really difficult match."

It will be Nadal's fifth successive Australian Open quarterfinal and he is in the midst of a 25-match Grand Slam winning streak, his longest, but four off the record run of 29 held by Rod Laver.

The winner will play either British fifth seed Murray or 46th-ranked Dolgopolov in the top-half semifinal.

Murray, who was shattered by his defeat in last year's final by Roger Federer after holding five set points in a marathon third-set tiebreaker, said he was ready for the big matches of the tournament.

"I feel good. The matches are definitely going to get tougher," he said.

"I've been moving well. I'm hitting the ball the best I've have done since the early matches, but it's going to get much tougher. I'm ready for that mentally."

Murray is bidding to win Britain's first male Grand Slam since 1936 and was impressive in losing just five games to Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the round of 16.

Murray, who has yet to drop a set in his four matches at this year's Open, is undefeated in seven matches so far this season.

He is expecting a testing quarterfinal against Dolgopolov, who dumped Swedish fourth seed and two-time French Open finalist Robin Soderling out in the fourth round.

"He's got a very unorthodox game, very different to most of the guys on the tour and he's starting to put everything together," he said.

"He's playing well, taking chances and he has a game that can make you play strange shots or not play that well."

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Sam Stosur gets job done as fans dare to dream

SAM STOSUR does not go to bed each night hoping she will be the next Australian grand slam tennis champion, but she is giving everyone else reason to dream.

It was a fairly clinical execution of the tall Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena last night. Even the modest Stosur could hardly contain her enthusiasm for the state of her game right now.

"Everything seemed to be coming out of the centre and I felt like I moved well, made good decisions," the 26-year-old fifth seed said.

"I don't think Vera played too bad. I was just really on it tonight.

"It was really pleasing to go through a match like that and feel like I pretty much did everything fairly well."

Considering she won the point on her first serve 70 per cent of the time despite only hitting four aces, and on her second 65 per cent of the time, it's not hard to see how dominant the Queenslander was last night.

As she keeps moving through the field, the screws turn even tighter on whether she can became the first Australian woman to win a grand slam event since Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert at Wimbledon in 1980.

"I know it has been a long time. I'd love to be that person to break that drought," Stosur said.

"At the end of the day, I've got to play good matches, and I've got to do seven of them to win the tournament.

"You know, it's one of those things. Yes, I'd love to do it, but it's not something I can go to bed thinking about each night."

The time line stretches back just a little farther for the last Australian woman to win the Daphne Akhurst trophy in Melbourne - Chris O'Neil in 1978.

Wendy Turnbull made the final in December 1980 but lost to Czech Hana Mandlikova, who went on to become an Australian citizen in 1986 and retired from tennis in 1990.

But history was the last thing on Stosur's mind last night, or will be when she wakes up today to prepare for her third-round match against rising star Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic.

Kvitova, 20, won the Brisbane International and was an unseeded semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, having never previously won a match on grass.

And although Stosur cracked the top 10 and top five in the world last season, Kvitova, ranked 25, is not intimidated.

"I know I have to have a big serve and to be aggressive. I might surprise her. You never know," Kvitova said.

She said a chanting, green and gold-clad crowd would not unnerve her.

"It will be tough but I like the big courts so we'll see," Kvitova said.

The pair have met only once, at the 2008 French Open in the second round when Kvitova won.

"She got me there," Stosur said. "I know her a little bit better now."

The world No 6 seems comfortable in her new position on the WTA tour.

She reached the quarter-final, or better, in 12 of her 19 tournaments last season - a statistic bettered only by world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki.

She has not made the final eight in Melbourne yet. The last Australian woman to do so was Alicia Molik in 2005. Two fourth-round finishes in 2006 and 2010 are Stosur's best. But she knows more is expected of her now.

She is entering the world of Tim Henman or Andy Murray at Wimbledon; Andy Roddick at the US Open or even Amelie Mauresmo at the French Open. The crowds so badly want their local heroes to win.

Stosur has not felt the need yet to call on them. Mauresmo is in Melbourne commentating for French television. "If ever the situation, I guess presented itself, there's only good things that could come out of a conversation like that," Stosur said.

"So far, I haven't really spoken to any current players or past players about that kind of thing.

"But definitely I've had many conversations with my coach (Dave Taylor) and other people around me who try to help me with those kinds of things.

"So far I haven't. But maybe, yeah, in the future that's something I can look at doing."

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Australian Open:Relieved Federer at ease with Malisse

MELBOURNE: Roger Federer will welcome the familiarity of his next opponent at the Australian Open after dodging a bullet from nemesis Gilles Simon in the second round early on Thursday.

The defending champion had to pull out his best tennis to get on top of the 34th-ranked Frenchman in a desperate fifth set to claim victory, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 in a spellbinding 3hr 13min showdown on Rod Laver Arena.

Simon is one of only three active players along with world number one Rafael Nadal and last year's finalist Andy Murray to hold a winning record over the all-time Grand Slam title champion.

At one stage it looked as though Simon was going to stretch his winning sequence to 3-0 as he fought back from two sets down to take the match into a fifth set with Federer under the pump.

"I definitely felt something was not going my way," Federer said.

"I really had to play an extremely good game to close it out. Obviously I am quite relieved."

The Swiss great will now have what appears a more comfortable match coming up on Friday against Belgian Xavier Malisse, 30, whom he has played eight times.

Federer has won seven of those encounters, with the 45th-ranked Malisse's only success coming in their first meeting 12 years ago in a Davis Cup tie.

"Physically I'm fine, and I'm really looking forward to my next round opponent, who I've known for a very long time," Federer said.

Federer, who has an extraordinary recall of what happened in his past matches and what strategy he needs for his next opponent, said he will get plenty of positives out of his post-midnight escape.

"There's definitely positives to take out of this match," he said. "I didn't play bad. I didn't think I played bad in the third and the fourth sets. Really, a lot positives came out of the match.

"Sure a match like this can give you a lot of information, and should be very positive in the long run. We'll see how it goes."

Although confident he would ultimately prevail, Federer said at times he felt things weren't going his way against Simon, whose volleying at times in the third and fourth sets was exhilarating.

"I was like, 'This can't be true, right?'" Federer said, when asked what was going through his mind as plucky Simon saved the first three of five match points against him.

"I've had some tough losses last year. Obviously they're in the past and I've had a wonderful last six months.

"But sometimes it just doesn't seem to go your way. As much as you believe and press and do the right things, sometimes you get unlucky and sometimes the other guy just reads your mind or it just all falls into place and it's not your day.

"I didn't feel that feeling out there, but I definitely felt something was not going my way."

Going virtually unnoticed in the tumult of Federer's big escape was that he equalled Swede Stefan Edberg's record for the most Open Era wins at the Australian Open with 56.

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