Article

  • Federer refuses to lose faith despite ceding top ranking

    8/15/08 10:02 PM | Johan Lindahl
    - Roger Federer is braced for a fall as he loses his long-held No. 1 ranking on Monday, just a week before the start of the US Open.

    The Swiss, who ruled atop the ATP table for four and a half years, cedes to Rafael Nadal, who has been knocking hard at the door this season, beating the formerly invincible player for French Open and Wimbledon titles.

    Federer's latest disaster match was a quarter-final loss to James Blake at the Beijing Olympics. “This obviously is a big blow, I expected more”, Federer admitted. “It was one of my goals this season, to do well in Beijing".

    ”The quarters is not going to do it for me“.

    Federer lamented: ”I wish I could have done much more. But I've still got to look forward. I look forward to the US Open“.

    The 12-time Grand Slam winner, still just two away from tying the all-time best mark of Pete Sampras, can also look forward to a title defence at the Masters Cup season-ending event in Shanghai.

    ”I still have really this and then the Masters Cup in Shanghai to really do well now. I need to save my season“. Federer said that losing 12 matches in 2008 takes some getting used to. ”When you lose maybe five matches a year, you have a different type of confidence“.

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Comments

Well finally Roger has admitted what all tennis followers have known for months. He has succumbed to nerves and loss of confidence. Instead of trying to 'talk' himself up (which made him look pretty silly on several occasions) he should go back to the drawing board and work out what made him a great player in the first place and come back to fight another day. Or will he do a 'Borg'? Now that would be a more interesting poll than asking if he will be back as No.1

ed251137 , 8/16/08 9:41 AM



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