rogerfederer.com - Shock defeat in Rome

Shock defeat in Rome

Unfortunately, Roger has already dropped out of the Masters-Series tournament in Rome. He lost to Italy’s Filippo Volandri (ATP 53) 6-2, 6-4 in just 78 minutes today.

"I don't know what's wrong. I have to analyze it myself," Roger said. "It was over too soon for me today." These last weeks have been the worst stretch of his career since becoming No. 1 in Feb. 2004. Roger often missed routine baseline shots and his body language conveyed little will to compete. He hit only two winners with his forehand, normally his best shot, and made 44 unforced errors to Volandri's 23.

Roger arrived in Rome more than a week before the tournament started to step up his clay-court training. "I was the first player to arrive. My preparation was perfect," he said. "But let's not forget that Filippo played well today. Give the guy credit."

Our star now has the Hamburg Masters before the clay courts of Roland Garros in Paris. "Of course I've got to sit down and look at what went wrong, but it's not the end of the world? I've now got more time to train for Hamburg," he said.