Federer has often stated that, as long as he stays healthy, he intends to continue scaling the heights of men's tennis as he nears the all-time Grand Slam record of Pete Sampras.

The Swiss champion's fourth win in the year's opening major tournament will edge him to within one of Sampras' 14 titles.

But a stomach bug has injected some uncertainty into his preparation, forcing him to pull out of the lead-up Kooyong Classic that he normally uses to fine-tune his game ahead of the Slam event.

In his absence, Andy Roddick - who beat him in Kooyong last year - used his trademark big serve to overwhelm Marat Safin 6-3, 6-3 to book a place in tomorrow's final against either Marcos Baghdatis or Fernando Gonzalez.

Yesterday's play was the first test of the Plexi-cushion surface - the new Australian Open court surface - in hot conditions, with temperatures topping 40 deg C.

Players had complained that the old Rebound Ace surface at the Australian Open became sticky and slow in such heat, common at the year's first Major, but Roddick showed the new surface would not slow down the big hitters.

Still, it would take plenty to dislodge Federer, who enters 2008 after another season of excellence.

Successful defences of his Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open crowns took the 26-year-old's Grand Slam tally to 12 and he finished 2007 as the world's top player for the 200th consecutive week.

It is little wonder that his rivals despair at his invincibility, except on clay, where world No2 Rafael Nadal has had the measure of Federer at the last three French Opens.

Federer intended to practise this week to catch up on lost time, but admitted he is in a quandary over when he will fully recover from his medical problem.

'I definitely think it's going to turn for the good, and I'll be 100 per cent before the tournament starts,' said Federer, who was confirmed yesterday as the top men's seed, as was Justine Henin in the women's.

'I might ask for a Tuesday start but I hope I'm fine by Saturday.'

He has not missed a Grand Slam singles main draw since losing to Ivo Heuberger in the final round of qualifying at the 1999 US Open.

'I've felt better, but I haven't been able to practise much in Melbourne since I arrived,' he added.

Meanwhile, the dumped Williams has found solace in 'Who Moved My Cheese?'

The book is written by motivational author Spencer Johnson, who likens mice in a maze hunting for cheese to humans searching for happiness and success.

'Basically, it was talking about complacency and being afraid of change,' she wrote on her website.

'I then realised that I was afraid to change, afraid to move on. I was afraid to find new cheese!'

Of her lost love, she wrote in an entry on Monday: 'You feel like you can trust him, you feel as if everything you went through was for a reason, and the reason was to meet him.'

The world No7 did not reveal the name of her suitor, although the last man publicly linked to the American eight-time Grand Slam winner was US actor Jackie Long.

She reveals that as 'weeks turn into months' her bliss sours as her beau fails to declare his love: 'No, not the 'L' word, but what you have been most afraid of,' she wrote.

In another entry, she writes about the changes the break-up brought to her life: 'I decided to rid myself of relationships that could stop me from reaching the main goal, which is being the best.'

To do that, she will probably have to overcome Henin.

The Belgian extended her winning streak to 27 matches, and advanced to the final of the Sydney International with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over Serbia's Ana Ivanovic.

Henin will meet No 2 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final today.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS