He might be one of the favourites to win the men’s singles at the 2011 Australian Open, although Roger Federer made heavy weather of his second round match against Gilles Simon, with the Frenchman battling back to take the game to five sets.

The reigning champion appeared to be in total control after taking a 6-2 6-3 lead against an opponent that he had never beaten before, although Simon demonstrated great battling qualities to win the next two sets by a 6-4 scoreline.

Federer dug deep to take the final set 6-3, although the match took its toll on the Swiss and he hopes to avoid future contests against Simon.

“Matches against Simon don’t come easy, every time we go the distance. Hopefully we won’t play each other anymore,” said Federer

“I am happy to get through, just keep moving on in the draw and try to find an opponent who suits me more.

“I thought the match was great, it was played at a very high level for a long time, I thought I played great and am very happy.”

Selected Mens Singles Australian Open Tennis odds:

Rafael Nadal, 13/8 with Betfred

Roger Federer, 7/4 with Blue Square

Andy Murray, 8/1 with 888sport

Novak Djokovic, 9/1 with Bodog

Robin Soderling, 18/1 with Sporting Bet