Roger Federer withdraws from Paris Masters

Former champion Roger Federer has withdrawn from this week’s Rolex Paris Masters.

"I am extremely disappointed to have to pull out," said 2011 titlist Federer. "I want to play as long as possible on the ATP Tour. I'm sorry for my French fans who I'll see at Roland Garros in 2020."

The Swiss superstar won a record-extending 10th Swiss Indoors Basel crown (d. de Minaur) on Sunday. Read Final Report & Watch Highlights

Federer, 38, will now prepare to compete alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. There are two singles spots left up for grabs this week.

Italian Andreas Seppi has replaced Federer as a lucky loser in the ATP Masters 1000 main draw.

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Slightly disappointing, but no surprise here and a very wise decision in the long run. 

Especially if he wants to do well at the ATP World Tour Finals, which hasn't gone so well for him in recent years. 

Also given how many events he's committed to for next season (French Open Olympics etc.) I think skipping this one will ensure his body stays healthy throughout 2020.

Roger Federer & Rafa Nadal could face each other at Paris Masters next week

With two qualifying spots remaining for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, the Rolex Paris Masters will determine who packs their bags for The O2 in London from 10-17 November. Ten players are still in contention, including German Alexander Zverev, Italian Matteo Berrettini and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, but they’ll need to weather challenging draws at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Zverev, seeded sixth, is in good standing to give himself a chance to defend his title in London. He’s currently in seventh place in the ATP Race to London with 2,855 points, but will need to be in top form in Paris as he starts against Croatian Borna Coric or Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Zverev shares the same quarter of the draw as third-seeded Swiss Roger Federer and a pair of London hopefuls, No. 11 seed Fabio Fognini of Italy and No. 13 seed Gael Monfils of France. Monfils is tenth in the Race with 2,350 points.

Tenth-seeded Berrettini has a heathy grip on eighth place in the Race with 2,660 points. The Italian arguably has the most challenging draw of any player in Paris, though. He’ll begin against home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or in-form Russian Andrey Rublev, then could face eighth-seeded Russian and defending champion Karen Khachanov in the third round. Should he escape that treacherous section, a potential quarter-final clash awaits with second-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, currently ninth in the Race (2,530), also seeks a big week in Paris and will open against #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur or Serbian Laslo Djere. The Spaniard is in the same quarter of the draw as top seed Novak Djokovic, seventh-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and fellow London hopeful Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine is 14th in the Race with 2,040 points.

Belgian David Goffin is 11th in the Race with 2,325 points. The No. 13 seed will need to reach at least the semi-finals in Paris if he wants to return to The O2. His week begins against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or #NextGenATP Aussie Ugo Humbert, with fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev and fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem also looming in his quarter.

Swiss Stan Wawrinka, American John Isner and Khachanov must take the title in Paris in order to have a chance at qualifying for London. Isner returns to action for the first time since the birth of his second child last week.

Djokovic, seeking his fifth title in Paris, opens against Frenchman Richard Gasquet or fellow Serbian Dusan Lajovic. The World No. 1 holds a 32-8 record at this event and has reached the championship match in four of his past five appearances.

Nadal is back in action against a qualifier or Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, then could renew his rivalry with Wawrinka in the third round. Although Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 18-3, Wawrinka’s last win over the Spaniard came four years ago in the Paris quarter-finals.

Federer looks for his first title in Paris since 2011. The Swiss plays play Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili or Moldovan Radu Albot in his opening match and shares the same half of the draw as Nadal. The pair have never faced off at this event.

Medvedev aims to continue his winning ways as he begins his campaign against a qualifier or Argentine Guido Pella. The Russian, who captured his second Masters 1000 title this month at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Zverev), is on a nine-match winning streak and has reached the final of his past six ATP Tour events.

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So much fantastic tennis left in 2019.Although is everyone jumping the gun a bit with Roger, i don't think he's confirmed he'll even play Paris yet.

He's a little busy trying to defend his Basel title at home this weekend.

Roger Federer remains upbeat after Paris Masters loss to Djokovic

Despite admitting to some regrets after falling in a final-set tie-break to Novak Djokovic in the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals on Saturday, Roger Federer remained upbeat about his progress, as he looks to end his season on a high at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

The 37-year-old Swiss, who was aiming to move one win from collecting his 100th tour-level title, was making his first tournament appearance in the French capital since 2015, but eventually fell to his great rival after three hours and two minutes. Federer's outside chance of finishing 2018 as year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings also came to an end.

"I think the level was good from my side," said Federer. "Clearly I have some regrets. When you lose a close match like this you always have. Wherever they are in the match.

"But, overall, it was a good tournament. I can look back and think it was definitely worth it to come to Paris. The welcome was great. I played some good tennis, so I can be happy."

Federer also took the time to praise Djokovic, who has won 22 consecutive matches, ahead of his final meeting against Russian Karen Khachanov on Sunday. Djokovic will be aiming to collect his third successive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy, which would bring the 31-year-old level with Rafael Nadal's record haul of 33 titles at the level.

"Novak is obviously on a roll. You can feel it," said Federer. "He protects his serve very well. I think I did the same as well. And at the end it came down to a few things here and there.

"I'm happy with my game. It's better than last week in Basel. There I won the tournament and here I played in the semis and it needed somebody of Novak's calibre to beat me. So, that's all right. I'm looking forward to a rest now and a good preparation for London."

With added confidence, following on from capturing a record ninth crown at the Swiss Indoors Basel last week, Federer has every reason for positivity as he switches his focus to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in London from 11-18 November. The six-time champion is chasing his first trophy at the event since 2011 and remains well aware of the challenges the elite eight-man event presents.

"Last week, I obtained the title [in Basel] and it gave me a lot of confidence. I saved a lot of break points. I wasn't tense. I wasn't nervous. So I got used to playing matches again," said Federer. "We're going to play against the Top 10 from the first [match in London]. It's not simple. My body is in shape. Mentally I felt tough. So, it's a good thing as well. And I reached the semi-finals [in Paris]... I can still be satisfied."

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Roger Federer sets up another meeting with Novak Djokovic at Paris Masters semis

Roger Federer continued chasing his 100th tour-level title on Friday with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory against in-form Kei Nishikori, setting a blockbuster Rolex Paris Masters semi-final against four-time tournament winner Novak Djokovic.

It will be Federer’s 47th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Djokovic, who has won 21 tour-level matches in a row, and 30 of his past 31 matches dating back to the start of Wimbledon. In their only clash this season, Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets to win the Western & Southern Open to complete the Career Golden Masters.

"I want to play well. I want to try to win, obviously. I know he's on a hot streak so I think it's going to be tough. But nevertheless I think I've got nothing to lose," Federer said. "I also like this type of surface, I like playing indoors. Indoors has treated me very well, winning Rotterdam and Basel. I think I'm ready to do something tomorrow, but clearly I have to play a lot of good tennis tomorrow because those are the question Novak asks of you. It's not just maybe a serve here or there or a return here or there, he's going to ask the question time and time again because he defends very well and he plays well on the offence and plus he's serving consistently well at the moment so I think it's going to be tough."

Federer will have plenty of motivation to avenge that loss, as he stands two matches from becoming the second player behind Jimmy Connors (109) to win 100 titles. Last week, the Swiss lifted his ninth hometown trophy at the Swiss Indoors Basel to give him 99 crowns overall, and he has now won seven matches in a row to improve his record to 46-7 in 2018.

Federer leads Nishikori 7-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, and the Swiss has triumphed in their past six meetings, including a match just three weeks ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. While Nishikori broke the 37-year-old twice in China, Federer’s serve dominated their Parisian quarter-final, as the third seed lost just one first-serve point (27/28) and saved the only break point he faced. Federer won a higher percentage of second-serve points (59%) than Nishikori did on his first serve (57%).

"I think for me it was really important to go through two sets and not get broken and play very consistently and solid and not make too many wild shots on my own service games and just play solid and I think I was able to deliver that in a very nice way today. Kei is one of the best returners in the game and if you allow him to come into your service games too frequently, he's going to really hurt you. I think I was able to avoid that and then winning straight sets is always nice. It saves energy for not only what is to come tomorrow or the following week, but for your career. That's why you could be more successful if you win quick matches. I've done that well throughout my career and it was nice to get one again tonight."

The 2011 Paris champion, who is into the last four here for the first time since 2013, only landed 52 per cent of his first serves. But he placed his delivery quite well, painting the lines with various spins and paces to keep an elite returner in Nishikori from being aggressive on return. That kept the Japanese star from controlling many baseline rallies, allowing Federer to cruise to victory in 79 minutes.

By virtue of his loss against Federer, Nishikori will finish ninth in the ATP Race To London. That means that Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem have clinched the final two spots at the Nitto ATP Finals, to take place at The O2 in London from 11-18 November.

Did You Know?

Saturday's semi-final between Federer and Djokovic will be their 10th consecutive meeting at the Nitto ATP Finals, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event or a Grand Slam.

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Roger Federer makes a winning return at Paris Masters

Roger Federer began his pursuit of tour-level title No. 100 on Thursday, beating 13th seed Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters.

"I think both of us were far from our best, but we fought with what we had and at the end I think I maybe served a bit better in the important moments than Fabio did. Off the baseline, it was tough. He takes the ball early and can really redirect really well. But I’m very happy because it means I’m moving on in the tournament."

Federer, who received a walkover into the Round of 16 due to Milos Raonic's withdrawal, is trying to triumph in Bercy for the second time in his career. The Swiss has now moved into the last eight at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in five of his past six appearances.

The 27-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist is gaining momentum ahead of his 16th appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. Federer, currently No. 3 in the ATP Rankings, will try to lift a record seventh trophy at the season finale in London, to take place at The O2 from 11-18 November. The 37-year-old improves to 45-7 in 2018, making at least the quarter-finals in 10 of 12 events this season.

Federer now leads Fognini 4-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, winning all 10 sets they have played. The 99-time tour-level champion has won nine of those 10 sets by a margin of 6-4 or greater, coming out victorious on Thursday in just 73 minutes.

Federer did well on return, continuing the momentum he gained winning the title at last week’s Swiss Indoors Basel. The third seed won 46 per cent of his return points to eliminate the Italian, who captured three ATP World Tour titles this season. Federer will next face seventh seed Kevin Anderson or No. 10 seed Kei Nishikori.

Did You Know?

Federer has 45 match wins in 2018. The 37-year-old has earned 40 or more victories 17 times (2001-15 and 2017-18).

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His first serve percentage is still all over the place, I guess this is just the Roger we'll be getting for the remainder of this year.  But at least he won fairly easily.

Roger Federer out of Paris Masters courtesy of John Isner

Roger Federer knew he would have his hands full against John Isner on Court Central. Sure, he was 5-1 against the altitudinous American, his only defeat coming in a Davis Cup clash on clay in 2012. But the Swiss was well aware of Isner’s record on the indoor courts of Paris, where the 6-foot-10 power server was 7-6 and had reached the semi-finals in 2011. With a serve like his, anything can happen.

“When I saw the draw and I saw I had a possibility of playing him in the second round,” Federer observed, “it's the kind of draw I don't really like to see.”

“I know it's not going to be easy,” said Federer prior to the match. “I need to make sure I focus on my own game and see what I can do on his serve. There are only so many opportunities. I'm aware of that. He goes through a lot of close matches. He's used to that kind of stuff. We're not used to that many tie-breakers and 7‑6s in the third.”

Prescient words from Federer, as Thursday’s Round-of-16 match-up would indeed come down to a third-set tie-break, Isner emerging victorious behind 27 aces 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5).

As he showed at the BNP Paribas Masters, with no sun, no wind, no game-changing elements to affect his toss, Isner’s weapon of choice is as lethal as they come.

“I think he serves consistent throughout the year,” said Federer, who despite the loss registered 13 of his own aces and was never broken. “I think with him it's more can he serve big when he really needs it the most? Does indoors maybe help him there a little bit? Potentially. He's got the size, got the power, got the angles. I thought he did very well today when he needed it. The breakers, he served great. Those are the ones he needed. That was the difference."

On Wednesday, Federer needed just 47 minutes to dispatch Italian Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-1. There would be no such brevity against the former collegiate standout, the three-set match lasting some two hours and 16 minutes.

Did his title run last week in Basel (d. Rafael Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 6-3) take a toll on his body?

“Maybe the eye was a thousandth of a second slower,” quipped the 34-year-old, who said he “played without pain” despite a mid-match visit from a trainer to check his arm. “I mean, what do you want me to tell you? I was definitely not tired from last night. I was ready to go today.”

Next up for Federer is the Nov. 15-22 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he has had his share of success in the past. In fact, the World No. 2 has held the trophy at the year-end showdown on no less than six occasions.

“I have been there since 2002,” he said. “It's one of the tournaments that I’ve enjoyed most and that I’ve had a lot of pleasure winning. I'm happy I'm qualified. We'll see the groups, the round robins. I'm very eager to go to London and get prepared as well as I can. I'm in good shape. I'm healthy, so I want that tournament to start.”

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Roger Federer flies into 3rd round at Paris Masters

Roger Federer Tumblr tag

Roger Federer scored his best-in-the-business 327th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 victory on Friday at the BNP Paribas Masters, easily downing Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-1.

In 13 previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, Seppi had defeated Federer on just one occasion: a 6-4, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(5) third-round upset earlier this year at the Australian Open. But that seemed but ancient history at the AccorHotels Arena, where Federer overwhelmed the Italian in 47 minutes.

So speedy was the match that one reporter asked the World No. 2 if he had promised his children he would be home in time for dinner.

Federer quipped, “No, I'm too late now.”

“But it's very pleasant to play matches like this one,” he continued. “Of course, I like great battles, playing two, three, four, five hours. But 47 minutes is always very pleasant. You need to focus a lot for the very short time you are on the court, not to make any mistakes. I'm very happy with this mental performance.”

Federer, 34, playing his first match since claiming his seventh Basel title on Sunday, played near-flawless tennis in taking the opening set in an efficient 19 minutes, winning 92 per cent of his service points.

The 28th-ranked Seppi never seemed to recover in the second set. It wasn’t until, serving for survival at 0-5, that he got on the scoreboard. But it was too little too late. He finished with 18 unforced errors to just five winners.

Seppi fell to 2-8 against Top-10 competition in 2015. Federer, meanwhile, improved to 59-9 overall on the year. He will now meet John Isner in the Round of 16. The Swiss is 5-1 against the power-serving American in FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters.

"Indoors here in Paris, he's played well historically," Federer observed. "I'm aware of that, and I know it's not going to be easy. I need to make sure I focus on my own game and see what I can do on his serve. There is only so many opportunities."

Trailing 1-4 in the opening set against Viktor Troicki, 15th seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain battled back before falling 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4. The Serb will next face Stan Wawrinka. Elsewhere, No. 9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made quick work of Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, winning 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and two minutes.

"I wanted to keep focused and not give away anything along the way,” said Tsonga. “And this I did well. I didn't want to get caught in a very long match. It was too dangerous."

The Frenchman smacked eight aces and converted four of eight break points in earning a Round of 16 match-up with Tomas Berdych.

In a marathon match that lingered until 12:24 a.m. local time, Kevin Anderson outlasted Dominic Thiem6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-6(5) for the right to meet Rafael Nadal in the Round of 16. The two-hour and 44-minute affair saw Anderson register 30 aces, totaling 55 winners and 39 unforced errors. Both players saved match points before the decisive third-set tie-break, but it was the South African who would come through in the end.

For the first time since 2009, 14 of 16 seeds are through to the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Masters.

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Milos Raonic stuns Roger Federer at Paris Masters quarter-finals

Milos Raonic pulled out his best tennis when it counted most on Friday at the BNP Paribas Masters, keeping his Barclays ATP World Tour Finals dream alive as he defeated Roger Federer, 7-6(5), 7-5, for the first time in seven attempts to reach the semi-finals in Paris.

If Kei Nishikori beats David Ferrer in the final quarter-final of the day, the field will be set for the Final Showdown, with Nishikori and Raonic clinching the final two berths.


The 23-year-old Raonic is bidding to qualify for the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 9-16 November, for the first time. The Toronto native needs to go one round further than Ferrer at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy.

In Saturday’s semi-finals, Raonic will face Tomas Berdych, who earlier booked his spot in London with victory over Kevin Anderson. Raonic leads Berdych 2-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and is bidding to reach his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final. He finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal in Montreal last year.

Federer’s defeat gives Djokovic the chance to stretch his lead in their battle to finish the year as World No. 1. The Serb has a 490-point lead over Federer and plays Andy Murray in the Paris quarter-finals.

Raonic fired 21 aces as he edged Federer in one hour and 33 minutes. The Toronto native saved a break point at 4-5, 30/40 in the second set before breaking Federer decisively in the following game. It is the first time that Raonic has beaten one of the Top 3.

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Roger Federer moves into the quarters at Paris Masters faces Raonic next

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Roger Federer kept up the pressure on Novak Djokovic in the battle for year-end No. 1 Thursday when he reached the BNP Paribas Masters quarter-finals.

Second seed Federer extended his winning streak to 14 matches with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 20-year-old French qualifier Lucas Pouille to set up a clash against seventh seed Milos Raonic, who has a chance of qualifying for next month’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Looking ahead to his quarter-final clash with London hopeful Raonic, against whom he has a 6-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record, Federer said: “It's good that I didn't spend too much energy today. I'm into the tournament. I think after five sets you more or less know where you're standing. Milos has a lot in his racquet. I mean, the way he serves, the way he plays after that. It's a tough match, but I'm looking forward to it. There is a possible semi-final after that for both of us and also the London issue, so it's more fun.”

Federer has lifted five trophies from 10 finals this year, including at his past two tournaments, the Shanghai Rolex Masters (d. Simon) and a sixth crown at the Swiss Indoors Basel (d. Goffin). He is now three match wins shy of 250 indoor victories (247-60), a milestone he could reach if he lifts his 24th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown on Sunday.

The 2011 Paris champion broke Pouille at 3-3 in the first set, committing just six unforced errors. Pouille, who was not outclassed in his 11th tour-level match, produced a string of backhand winners that delighted the French crowd. Federer broke in a nine-minute game at 3-3 in the second set, to put him on course for his 68th victory of the year.

Asked if he remembered what it was like to be in Pouille’s shoes – a rookie playing a legend of the game – Federer recalled three matches from his early career: “Basel '98 when I played Agassi. That was his comeback year after he dropped… Then Moya ’99 in Marseille. He was World No. 4. I got a wild card into that. Then I played Rafter at the French Open first round. I also got a wildcard and broke the first game. And then got broken back. I won the set, but he crushed me. That was a big moment. So those three stand out to me.

“Agassi was the type of draw I didn't really want because I knew he had such an easy time finding my backhand. Back then my backhand really wasn't that good. I played a really good match actually. I think I won five games and I was extremely happy with the way I played.”

Should he win the Paris title, Federer will replace Djokovic at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and Emirates ATP Race To London unless the Serb reaches the final.

Djokovic maintained his 490-point cushion over Federer in the Emirates ATP Race To London, as he held off Frenchman Gael Monfils in the final match Thursday. The defending champion closed out a 6-3, 7-6(2) win after one hour and 32 minutes, improving to an 11-0 mark against Monfils.

In the quarter-finals, the World No. 1 will face off against Andy Murray, who qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with his victory over Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the day. Djokovic leads Murray 14-8 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including wins in their three encounters this season.

Djokovic is playing in his first tournament since the birth of his son, Stefan, last week.

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Roger Federer battles past Chardy to reach Paris Masters 3rd round

Roger Federer withstood a tough test from home favourite Jeremy Chardy to advance 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-4 to the BNP Paribas Masters third round on Wednesday.

The 33 year old extended his winning streak to 13 matches, a run that includes picking up his sixth Basel title last week (d. Goffin) and his 23rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in Shanghai (d. Simon) last month.

Federer, the 2011 Paris champion, is on Novak Djokovic's heels in the battle for year-end No. 1, trailing the Serb by just 490 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Federer is trying to finish the season as No. 1 for the sixth time, which would equal Pete Sampras’ record.​

The 33-year-old Federer dropped his opening service game and eventually found himself serving down 2-5 against the 27-year-old Chardy.

The Swiss erased four of Chardy’s set points as the Frenchman served for the set at 4-5, and consolidated the break to even the set at 5-5. 

Federer would go on to win his 11th straight tie-break - his previous loss was to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Rogers Cup final - after Chardy dumped a forehand into the net.

In the second set, both players held serve - Chardy erased both break points he faced - before heading into another tie-break. 

This time, the Frenchman had the upper hand, pushing their third FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter into a decider after smacking an inside-out forehand out of Federer's reach.

Federer grabbed the break early in the third, and stayed on track to close out the victory in two hours and 31 minutes. 

Federer awaits the winner between 16th seed Fabio Fognini and qualifier Lucas Pouille.

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Not the best he has played compared to his last 2 tournaments, but a win is a win :).