That Roger Federer complained about Rafael Nadal's antics during his straight-sets win over Federer in the Australian Open semifinals should be a positive sign for Federer fans.
It was the complaint itself that was somewhat mystifying for the Swiss star who considered one of tennis' great gentlemen.
Multiple media sites reported that Federer complained twice to umpire Jake Garner about Nadal's grunting during the second set, accusing the Spaniard of selective grunting.
Federer also joined the throng of Rafa opponents that vented frustration over Nadal's extended time between points without penalty.
According to the Daily Mail, Federer was careful to point out that Nadal's game, rather than his antics, was the deciding factor in the match. But he did have a seemingly accusatory opinion on Nadal's on-court behavior, which is unlike typical Federer behavior.
Asked whether Nadal's grunting bothered him, Federer said, "Not when he does it every point, but it goes in phases -- one point he does and one point he doesn't; that's what I was complaining about."
Nadal denied that he was crafting his grunting to throw off his longtime rival.
"I never do anything on court to bother an opponent," Nadal said. "When I am hitting the ball in a rally, the last thing I am thinking about is bothering the opponent."
Federer added that he's used to Nadal's extended time between points but isn't exactly thrilled to have to put up with it.
"Rafa is doing a much better job than he used to, I'm not complaining much about the time but I think I've played him 33 times and he's got two points penalties over the course of our rivalry.
"You either have rules or you don't. If you don't have rules it's fine, everybody can do what they want to do. It's important to enforce the rules on all levels; don't give me or Djokovic a free pass because of who we are. We should all be judged the same way, not just a guy on court 16, who you can give a time violation to just because you can."
Despite Federer's straight-sets loss to Nadal, his fighting spirit shows that his confidence his back. If he can continue to play the way he did in Australia and figure out a strategy against Nadal, he could threaten to win another major this year.
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