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Federer happy for break before French Open

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-14 07:29

Roger Federer of Switzerland is downcast during his match against Richard Gasquet of France at the Rome Masters tournament on Thursday. Max Rossi / Reuters

ROME - World No 3 Roger Federer was looking at the positives after his third-round defeat to Richard Gasquet at the Rome Masters.

Having failed to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time in a year - since he also slipped up here last year - and blowing a lead of a set and a break, Federer was quick to look ahead after his 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) defeat.

"I'm definitely looking forward to a few days off, I'll definitely be happy to take two, three or four days off, whatever it takes to feel physically and mentally fresh for the French Open," he said.

"I'm feeling great now and I'll practise when I get to Paris, that's the plan so it's the same as the last few years only that this time I will get a couple more days of practise which isn't bad."

Things appeared to be going to plan for Federer when he broke at 3-3 in the first set and served it out.

But at 4-3 up and serving in the second set he was broken before failing to convert two break points in the next game.

He lost the tiebreak 7-2 and then in the decider his game gradually crumbled before succumbing in another tiebreak.

It was only the second time in 10 meetings that Federer had lost to Gasquet, the other being their first match in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals in 2005 when Gasquet was only 18.

But he refused to consider any suggestions he was off form coming into the French Open, reminding reporters Gasquet is a quality opponent.

"There is something that you have to understand, Richard is a very good player," he said, "So please don't be surprised if he plays good tennis. That is what he is supposed to do.

"I played him in the semis in Wimbledon, the finals in Hamburg and the finals of Toronto and I think he does not need to prove his point that he can play tennis.

"(You) make it seem as if he has no forehand and this is the first time he has won a match.

"I don't think that's how it was and I don't know if you've been living under a rock or not but I think he has been playing really well for many years.

"Obviously there are high expectations from France because he was so talented.

"If you refer to the match in Monaco, I don't care, it has been five or six years and it was a completely different match and he was such a young player and it was an amazing victory.

"I think he also celebrated that more than he will celebrate this one because he expected a victory more than back then."

Agence France-Presse

NOTE:

Former world No 1 Serena Williams on Thursday was forced to pull out of the French Open, the tournament she won in 2002, after failing to recover from a long-term foot injury, the French tennis federation said.

Williams, a 13-time Grand Slam singles champion, has not played a top-level match since winning last year's Wimbledon title after cutting her right foot on broken glass last July, an injury that required two operations.

"While I am making good progress, unfortunately I won't be able to compete in Roland Garros as I am continuing to rehab my foot and recover from the pulmonary embolism," 29-year-old Williams said.

As well as her foot injury, Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism in February that led to an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from her lung, a health concern she called the scariest moment of her life.

(China Daily 05/14/2011 page15)