• Australian Open

Federer confident of fighting for Australian Open crown

Roger Federer only won one trophy in 2013 © Getty Images

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Roger Federer has revealed he is "very hungry and eager to attack" during the new campaign, and is confident of mounting a challenge at the Australian Open.

Federer was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the Brisbane International on Sunday in three sets, but despite the loss has started 2014 in a confident mood.

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Playing with a new larger racquet head frame, and with boyhood hero Stefan Edberg now a part of his coaching team, Federer is determined to put a miserable 2013 season behind him with a strong showing this year, beginning at the Australian Open, a grand slam he has won four times and been to the semi-finals of in each of the past three years.

"I'm very hungry and eager to attack. I'm not thinking too far ahead. I'm not thinking short term. I'm definitely going there [to the Australian Open] to hopefully be there for a long time and putting myself in a good position," Federer told ATPWorldTour.com

Federer only won one trophy last season (Halle), which was his worst showing since 2001. However, troubled by a back injury and producing lacklustre displays, Federer has fully recovered, and has carried over his form from last season into the new one, where he reached the last four of the ATP World Tour Finals at London's O2 Arena.

And the record 17-time major winner is ready for a new beginning, saying: "I'm looking back now, the last three, four months it's been very positive going through Basel, Paris, and London. All three weeks in a row where I played a lot of matches, a lot of three setters as well.

"I went through all of December and probably practised more than all the guys ranked ahead of me because they were playing exhibitions and all that stuff. I did that for a full month, a lot of training, and now here I had another busy week and I'm actually holding up very good. So that's a good sign moving into 2014."

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