Roger Federer said in the lead-up to his Australian Open quarter-final against in-form Nikolay Davydenko that he was confident as it was a best-of-five-set match and maintaining that belief helped him come from a set down to win on Wednesday.
The world No.1 not only dropped the opening set against his sixth-seeded Russian opponent, who had won their two most recent matches in London in November last year and Doha earlier this month, but was then staring down the barrel at going two breaks down early in the second set.
Like the champion that he is though Federer not only recovered from 3-1 and 15-40 down in that second set but he stormed back into the contest taking the second and third sets on the back of winning 13-straight games and eventually prevailed 2-6 6-3 6-0 7-5.
"(I) was in a tough situation ... I knew I wasn't looking very good," Federer said of his precarious position in the second set.
"But that's the beauty of best-of-five sets. I wasn't panicking, even though I maybe would have lost the second set had I lost another point there at that stage."
"But I just relaxed and thought maybe if the sun goes and his level drops just a little bit, the whole thing might change for the better (and) it did."
"I couldn't believe the way it changed but I'm happy the way I was able to go on an incredible run and get the cushion with the extra break at the beginning of the fourth (set)."
Apart from his ability to rally from the early deficit and go on to win, Federer was perhaps most pleased by the winning run he went on from midway through the second set to early in the fourth, having conceded only seven points in the one-sided third set.
"Winning that many games in a row against a player that's been on fire like this, it's a great sign," he added.
"I've always had those spells, if you look back at my Grand Slam play, that all of a sudden went on a tear and I was able to sort of dominate and create the difference this way."
Davydenko, who has transformed his image in recent times from a dour player into one who has been more open with the media and even been dubbed 'Mr Personality', said afterwards that he was 'pissed off' because it was 'like everything was s...' when Federer got on a roll.
The 28-year-old, who has been in career-best form in recent months with title victories at the ATP Tour World Finals in London and at Doha, put his demise down to his failure to capitalise in the fifth game of the second set and his misfiring first serve.
"Second set, I have so many chances to win ... I think it's just one game," Davydenko said.
"I don't know what's happened there ... (if) I can win this game, and for sure after this one, if I be 4-1, I have chance to win, like 99 percent chance (to) win (the) second set."
"But ... 3-2 and I lost then everything. Just I cannot come back losing so many games ... I cannot explain yet what happened."
Davydenko also lamented his serve: "(My) serve today was surprising, today I have no first serve."
"That was really bad luck for me. I remember every time I play against him last two matches (in London and Doha) I won, I have good first serve."
"Today was everything from the second and like (I was winning only) 50-50."