Melbourne  - Even ice-calm Roger Federer admits that his stress levels have eased in recent months as he slipped from tennis' top ranking.

Still ranked second, the Swiss star said that he feels an eerie calm as he pursues a fourth title in six years at the Australian Open.

"Maybe I'm a bit more relaxed," he said after passing the first round against Italy's Andreas Seppi. "When you're number one you put your head down, you try to win as many tournaments as possible."

He admitted: "Maybe sometimes you forget to enjoy it as much as you can, because everything happens so quickly."

While he's not about to give up his quest to replace Rafael Nadal atop the ATP rankings, Federer said he has come to appreciate the slight dialing down of the tension level at his current position.

"It's nice time to be number one, having everybody talking about you. But I'm getting older. I'm enjoying myself more. I still love the traveling. I love competing out on centre court. Those are good feelings," he said.

"But maybe today, after a tough year, sometimes you can show more because you've been through a tough time. I show maybe a bit more emotions, a bit more happiness, which maybe people didn't see before."(dpa)