Not only holding his ground, but also challenging the rising prominence of Djokovic-Nadal duo, sixteen Grand Slam titles winner Roger Federer is one of those defiant warriors who keep on improving on a daily basis and also adapt with the evolving challenges – this true gentleman of game is also a perfect role-models for all those, who believe that they can yield the best results on tour even after turning thirty. So, whatever the situation is or circumstances are you can never feel a bit complacent against the former World No. 1 Roger Federer, who will take on seasonal campaigner Ivo Karlovic in his third-round encounter of the 2012 Australian Open.

Roger Federer easily booked his place in the last 32 of the Australian Open without hitting a ball on Tuesday after his opponent Andreas Beck was forced to withdraw from their scheduled second-round clash. Federer’s opponent Karlovic made a good recovery after losing the second-set to beat Carlos Berlocq in his last round match with a 7-6  3-6 6-3 6-4 scoreline to set up this clash with World No. 3.

Federer did not look near to his best in the last season. In fact, the Swiss could not produce some good results during the greater part of the last season. He also lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon quarter-final after winning the first two sets. The Swiss did recover from the jolts and finished the season on a high note after winning three titles in a row in Basel, Paris and London.

On the other hand, lanky Karlovic has all the experience of playing on tour. The Croatian turned professional in 2000 and has 4 titles to his name so far. Karlovic is known for his probing serve, which has made him hugely popular on tour. In head-to-head, Roger Federer apparently leads with 9-1 against the Croatian. Last time they met in Wimbledon quarterfinal in 2009, where Federer beat the Croatian in straight sets. Well, the Karlovic can take some heart from the fact that his only victory against Federer came on hard-court in 2008 in Cincinnati Masters and he can aspire to repeat that feat.