Swiss Belinda Bencic says pep talk by compatriot Roger Federer inspired her to first-round win over veteran Venus Williams
Roger Federer
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A pep talk from Roger Federer helped inspire Belinda Bencic to a major upset on the opening day of the Australian Open. The Swiss, 20, came into the tournament in great form and knocked out last year's runner-up Venus Williams 6-3 7-5.
She prepared for the year's first grand slam by teaming up with Federer to represent Switzerland at the Hopman Cup, with the pair going on to lift the trophy. And Bencic had support from the whole Federer family here, with the defending champion offering his advice before the match and congratulating her afterwards while his parents were courtside in Bencic's player box.
Switzerland's Belinda Bencic is ecstatic after her Australian Open first-round win over USA's Venus Williams yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
She said: "I really admire that before the match in the locker room he's so relaxed, being funny with his team, or even with everyone. Then on court, he's so focused. "I think that's the main thing I want to learn from him. Even off the court, a normal, humble person, really happy and trying to give advice and help someone like me. I think that makes him pretty special."
Not surprisingly, the win over Williams, who she had not taken a set off in four previous meetings, left Bencic beaming from ear to ear. "It was amazing," she said. "I think the level was great. She beat me four times before so I was happy I took my chance this time. Obviously, I'm just happy to be back playing. It was a very, very long time when I was out. I couldn't wait to come back, so it means a lot."
Venus Williams
While Bencic had players commiserating over her draw, it proved much worse for her 37-year-old opponent, who made two Grand Slam finals and one semi-final in 2017. Williams gave credit to Bencic, saying: "I think she played well. I don't think I played a bad match. She just played above and beyond."
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