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Roger Federer, the afternoon after his Australian Open triumph

Emma Quayle

Roger Federer got home very, very late, after winning the Australian Open on Sunday night. Or was it early Monday morning? "I saw them this morning," said Federer, asked how his seven-year-old twin daughters had enjoyed the win. "As I walked in they woke up. So it was a bit of a weird moment, but still so great because they were in such a good mood as they woke up and I walked in. It was an amazing half an hour, right there."

Federer isn't sure Charlene and Myla will remember the moment like he plans to. He knows Leo and Lenny won't; his boys are only two. But it meant something to him that he was able to win his 18th grand slam title - to win A grand slam title - in their lifetime. And as he posed with the Norman Brookes Trophy for one last time before loading it onto a plane headed home, where he'll rest up for at least a week before working out what the rest of the year might now look like, he reflected more on what his win had meant for the people around him, than for him.

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That was partly because his win over Rafael Nadal still seemed so hazy. "I don't know how much I slept, or if I slept. I had to look at some highlights again, just to remember how close the match was," Federer said. "What makes me happy is when I see all my friends and my family happy, and my support team, everybody who was there.

"I saw how they were celebrating, and it really made me emotional when I heard that in Switzerland people were following me and people were being generally really happy for me that I won a slam again. I think this one is maybe a bit of a fairytale, to come back this way. On so many levels I felt like a lot of people were happy and that's almost more important than me being happy that I was able to do it and win an 18th.

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"I was aware that it was a big match, but maybe not like this."

Federer was coming off a knee injury and a long, long break when he made his way to Melbourne. He thought making the quarter-finals would be a great result, but not all parts of him agreed, thankfully. "I just thought that I could probably be dangerous for a top guy, maybe beat one," said the five-time champion and 17th seed. "And that would probably be it because the body was aching, which it did, or because my level would drop, which it didn't. That was the big surprise for me. My expectations were low like they're supposed to be and it came as a huge surprise."

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Federer knows a little of what's up next - he'll follow the circus to Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami - and is allowing himself to start thinking about a 19th major title. Wimbledon is where he figures he'll have his next real chance, over the French Open which comes first. But really, who knows? "I've got a month now to reflect on everything. The body needs recovery too, now, so I'll take a week off at least to see how I feel and from then on you can plan your next moves," he said.

"I haven't planned the claycourt season but I'll probably do that midway through Indian Wells or something and then go to the grass, and I've got a lot of tournaments there. I'll play Stuttgart and Halle and I guess at Wimbledon I'll have a better shot there.

"French Open - if you're not in the draw you can't win it so I hope to be in the draw unlike last year. US Open? I think I have a chance to do well there, but it's enjoy this one first.

"I'm very tired right now and my legs hurt like mad and my back's stiff now because I couldn't take any treatment. Plus, I was dancing. I'm still on the high. I'm going to crash eventually, but that's OK."

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