Roger Federer in commanding form to collect once-mystical 20th slam trophy

There was no question if Hyeon Chung’s youth or gutsy exuberance was going to get the better of Roger Federer. As soon as the 19-time slam champ stepped onto the court and broke the South Korean in his first game, there was no question who would be securing the final spot.

Everyone knows Roger Federer’s a nice guy. He just doesn’t play like one. He never has.

All the brovado, calculation, and ruthlessness that we may detest in other athlete’s personalities are all there in Federer, it’s just strictly reserved in his tennis abilities. And that’s why the guy is playing his record 30th grand slam final.

By all accounts the match between 21 year-old Hyeon Chung and the 36 year-old should have been a nail biter. Chung had dispatched talents such as Alexander Zverev and the legendary Novak Djokovic, whose game he resembles. Djokovic is mostly responsible for the grand slam draught Federer suffered in the five years he waited before collecting numbers 18 and 19 last year. Federer had never played the world No. 58 Chung before so unpredictability might have been a factor that would mess with the Swiss perfectionist. But the five-time Australian Open champ simply never let the 21 year-old in, defeating him 6-1, 5-2 before Chung retired due to a blister on his foot.

Ruthless Federer, of course, knew about his blister issue beforehand, and ran him all over the court through a variety of beautiful shots he wielded like weapons. Fed’s elegant aggression (how else could you describe it?) was on full display, with the Swiss dictating play continuously on his seemingly endless array of hitting options. By the time they reached the second set summit, Chung surmised that the foot pain was too much and he conceded the inevitable defeat.

Don’t feel bad for Chung, though, he’s got a very bright future before him.

“He has a great composure,” Federer said of his young opponent in the on-court interview with Jim Courier. “He has next level talent. He’ll be top 10, for sure.”

Australia has always been very good to Federer. Of all the grand slams the Swiss has achieved, the Australian Open represents his best conversion effort in finals. He’s only lost one final here, against Rafael Nadal in 2009, but he also won here last year against the same rival, which began his year of renewed belief and majestic achievement. If he wins the final against Marin Cilic on Sunday, he will own six AO titles, as many as Novak Djokovic, and will hold the most titles at the Australia and U.S. Opens as well as Wimbledon (where he owns the record with eight) in the Open Era. Of course, collecting a 20th grand slam has a certain magical quality about it. It will affirm his position as the GOAT, which seems to be the case every time he wins a slam.

“Twenty-times special,” Federer said about the possibility of winning another in his interview. “Winning majors ain’t normal. It’s extraordinary.”

And where does he keep all those awesome trophies?

“I have a nice trophy cabinet at home,” Federer said to Courier, grinning. “I love it. Sometimes I look at it and go, wow. But then I think, who cares? It’s just tennis. When we have friends around it’s cool to look at Olympic medals and trophies. It’s something I’ve worked very hard for.”

But first he has to get through Marin Cilic, who sent him packing in the semis in the 2014 U.S. Open. However, it’s the only time the Croat has defeated him, including losing to the world No. 2 in last year’s Wimbledon. But Cilic was suffering from a slight injury then and has been playing with a more powerful game throughout this tournament.

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He also hit with Federer recently on vacation in the Maldives. Both happened to be vacationing in the same area so why not get together and hit? That’s the kind of life Fed leads.

“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’” said Federer about finding out that Cilic was also nearby. “We also met up later for drinks, met his fiancée,” said Federer. “We had cake together, my whole family and him. We had a good time.”

On Sunday he will be meeting world No. 6 Marin Cilic for their tenth matchup. The Australian Open final will take place on 3:30 a.m. EST.