Security around the Australian Open is always tight and if you don’t have ID you’re not getting in, no matter who you are — as even Roger Federer found out yesterday.
He might have been coming here for 20 years but the great man was denied access into the players’ lounge by a very plucky security guard when he didn’t have his accreditation: no pass, no entry.
Jolly Roger typically displayed exemplary manners and resisted giving the impertinent steward the big “Don’t you know who I am?” treatment. Instead, he stood patiently to one side until coach Ivan Ljubicic turned up with his errant ID to allow him to proceed.
Who scares Serena still?
Serena Williams’ teenage third round opponent Dayana Yastremska was clearly intimidated by being in the presence of greatness, collapsing to a straight sets defeat.
Asked afterwards if she had ever been in awe as a teenage prodigy, Serena replied: “When I was young every match was intimidating but you go out and do the best you can. When I was young, I played so many people like Martina Hingis and Monica Seles and everyone I faced was in the Hall of Fame,” she said. 
“Also I forgot (sister) Venus — she still intimidates me.” Asked if any player inspired her growing up, she quickly nominated Billie Jean King. “I feel like all of women’s — not just tennis — but sport, we owe everything to Billie Jean King,” she said.
“Demanding equal prize money, ethical play. Everything she has done for us and to get to know her on a personal level is inspiring.”
Amanda has the Z-factor
American teen Amanda Anisimova’s advance to round four in Melbourne Park means a new generation has quietly made its debut at the pointy end of a Grand Slam tournament.
The 17-year-old is the first player born after 2000 to ever reach the last 16 at a major, a milestone for the post-Millennials known as Generation Z. Florida-based Anisimova, who has Russian parents, is also the youngest American to reach round four of a Slam since Serena Williams at the French Open in 1998.
Williams, who is chasing her 24th major at Melbourne Park, said she had been following Anisimova’s development with interest. “I’m really excited to see this new generation of American players make a loud splash,” she said.