Federer is on top of world

Roger Federer confirmed his place as the finest tennis player in the world with a ruthless display against Russian Marat Safin to win the Australian Open at the weekend.

The 24-year-old capped a week in which he became world No 1 for the first time with a 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. "What a great start to the year," Federer said. "To fulfil my dream of winning the Open and reaching No1, particularly in a stadium with some mixed memories because of the Davis Cup, means so much."

Unlike when he won Wimbledon, there were no tears on court as he collected the championship trophy.

"That Wimbledon victory was such a dream, such a relief. I cannot really describe what I felt right then," he said. "I like the way it is right now. It's unbelievable. It just really feels good."

Safin ran out of energy after wins over Roddick and Andre Agassi. He said: "My legs were too tired. I ran out of gas. It's still great to have got to the final. It's not like I played against a guy who doesn't know how to play tennis. Let's give Roger some credit. He is a big player." Meanwhile, Greg Rusedski's legal advisors believe they will receive a clear indication today of what charge the British No2 will face when he appears before a hearing in Montreal next Monday.

Rusedski tested positive for nandrolone on 23 July last year, and if found guilty could be banned from tennis for two years.

His legal team expect one of three options: the hearing could be scrapped and case dropped; it could be dealt with in a telephone conference call, raising the chance of escaping a ban; or the hearing will go ahead with the two-year ban a real possibility.

The ATP has admitted its trainers gave players nutritional supplements until May 2003, despite warnings that they could cause a positive test.

They have already cleared seven players who tested positive for nandrolone, conceding that it could not be sure the positive tests did not come from supplements that its own trainers had dispensed.

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