SHANGHAI: Roger Federer’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 defeated by Gilles Simon on Monday at the Masters Cup.
Federer is suffering from back pain and withdrew from the Paris Masters 10 days ago because of serious injuries.
The second-ranked Federer said earlier he didn’t know what to expect when he played his first round-robin match in the season-ending event for the top eight players.
It turned out to be flashes of his usual brilliance, then a quick slide downhill. Federer faltered late in the second set with a rash of errors that allowed Simon to get back into the match.
“Definitely today shots maybe I miss I normally don’t miss,” Federer said. “I think that’s just lack of practice and just uncertainty where my back was today. Now at least I have a match under my belt, especially three sets, and I hope I can play better in the next match.”
