Former top-ranked netter Roger Federer fired a shot toward rival and current world's No.1 tennis player Rafael Nadal for overusing time during break at their last match-up at the Australian Open, urging officials to observe the rules properly in every tennis match.

Federer lost to Nadal in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open, marking the Swiss tennis star's 23rd career loss to his Mallorcan rival. Though suffering another loss at the hands of Nadal didn't seem to be a big deal for him, Federer stressed that the Spaniard should have been given a penalty for committing a time violation in their match.

"Rafa is doing a much better job today than he used to. I'm not complaining much about the time. But I think I've played him, what, three times. He's gotten two point penalties over the course of our rivalry. I just think that's not quite happening," Federer said recently on Tennis Tonic.

 "I mean, we know how much time he used to take. I'm not complaining about so many things. But either you have rules or you don't. If you don't have rules, it's fine. Everybody can do whatever they want to do," added Federer, who trailed Nadal 10-23 in head-to-head encounters.

Rules are rules!

Federer said that ATP officials should employ the rules strictly on time violations, whether that may be a Grand Slam final match or preliminary round match.

"I just think it's important to enforce the rules on many levels, whatever it may be. On all the players the same way. Don't give me or Djokovic a free pass just because of who we are. I think we should all be judged the same way," Federer said.

"Not just a guy on Court 16 because the guy had a brutal rally, you have to give him a time violation just because you can. On center court, they're always going to be afraid, the umpires, to take those decisions. I just like to challenge them a little bit. I just hope they do their job correctly. If they don't, what are you going to do? Sit and watch. Sometimes you just got to say things. I didn't lose the match because of that. It didn't bother me. I just felt I had to mention something," he added.