Roger Federer suffers shock exit as he lost in four sets to Andreas Seppi

Four-time champion Roger Federer suffered his earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2001 as he slumped to a stunning four-set defeat against Italian Andreas Seppi.

Seppi came into Friday's match having lost all 10 of his previous matches against the 17-time Grand Slam champion, snatching just one set in the process.

But incredibly the world No 46 pulled off a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) victory over the second seed, who reached at least the semi-final stage each year from 2004 to 2014.

"I just tried to enjoying playing on centre court (Rod Laver Arena) because it's not often I get the chance," Seppi said in his post-game interview.

"It was one of the best matches for sure otherwise I can't win against Roger. It's never comfortable playing against Roger, you never can feel comfortable."

"I was focusing on my service games as I was not getting many chances on his."

"The tie-break was great, especially the last point. I did not think I would get the ball. I thought it was a winner so I don't know how I hit a winner." ...SkySports