Yet two weeks later he was picking up his sixth Australian Open victory and his 20th Grand Slam.
Roger Federer saw off Marin Cilic in five sets to defend the title he won last year but luck was certainly on his side.
The Swiss veteran was fortunate not to have to play rival Rafael Nadal with the Spaniard withdrawing through injury in his quarter-final clash with Cilic.
Federer received further good fortunes in his own semi-final when South Korean Chung Hyeon retired in the second set.
And the 36-year-old admits that was a huge turning point in his tournament where he finally started to believe he could get to a prestigious 20 Grand Slam win.
ROGER FEDERER AND NOVAK DJOKOVIC SECRET REVEALED