MELBOURNE — Roger Federer said reaching his 300th Grand Slam win represents a "special" and "very exciting" moment in his illustrious career.
No. 3 seed Federer brought up the milestone thanks to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 third-round victory over Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open on Friday.
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Only former women's champion Martina Navratilova (306) has managed more Slam victories than the legendary Swiss.
Federer was asked about the achievement post-match and the 17-time Grand Slam winner was understandably thrilled.
"It's very exciting, I must tell you. Like when I reached 1,000 last year, it was a big deal for me," said Federer, who won his first Slam match at the Australian Open in 2000. [It is] not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it's very special.
"You look deeper into it, I guess, where it's all happened and how. So it's very nice. I'm very happy."
Federer's milestone victory did not come easy against the 27th-seeded Dimitrov.
After taking the first set, Federer was challenged by Dimitrov, who stepped it up a gear in the second.
However, Federer quickly asserted his dominance in the third and fourth sets as he made it five victories in as many meetings against Dimitrov.
"That was my goal, to react quickly after the second set because I struggled a little bit, but then I found my way back, then was able to take charge of the match," Federer said when asked if that was a straightforward win after losing the second set.
"It was important. Conditions, again, were very different indoors than they were against Dolgopolov in the second round. Even night session plays different.
"I'm pleased. It wasn't easy — I didn't expect it to be against Grigor. It was a tough round, so I'm happy."