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The current number 3 men's ranking has nothing to do with the player who, just over a week ago, was about to beat Novak Djokovic in half-time. final of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000.
On this occasion, Federer was a little slow and never found his rhythm, multiplying the errors in the blanket concealed by the London O2.
Not even a "break" at the beginning of the second set allowed him to find the way to victory. ] Federer did not lose to the Japanese player for more than four and a half years at the Miami tournament in 2014.
Despite this loss, the Swiss, which holds the record for participation in the Masters (16) and titles of this tournament (6), he still has options to reach the semifinals, for which he must occupy one of the first two positions of the group. Twice in the past (2007 and 2013), he managed to reach the semi-finals of the Masters Tournament & # 39; after losing in the first match.
"The playing conditions are slower here than in the last three tournaments I have participated in (Shanghai, Basel and Paris-Bercy.) We all need a time to adapt I, too, "said Federer after his defeat.
Anderson May with Thiem
In the other match of his group "Lleyton" Hewitt's # 10, the South African Kevin Anderson (6th in the world) won the Austrian Dominic Thiem ( 8e) in two sets, 6-3, 7-6 (12/10).
Anderson, 32, challenged the & # 39; Tournament of Masters – for the first time in his career, in a year in which the 2.03-meter giant was a finalist at Wimbledon.
"I was a little nervous," admitted the South African. "But I managed to concentrate quickly and find a good pace, taking care of my service and finding opportunities every time he served," he added.
Thiem, 25, plays his third Masters, but he has never pbaded the stage
"I did not start well, my first set was not very good, I had no chance to break his service and I had problems in almost every game with my service, "said the Austrian.
"In the second set, there was a very good tennis, it was decided by a few balls," added the finalist of Roland Garros this year.
The world number one, Serbian Novak Djokovic, favorite of the other group, will enter the list on Monday. in front of the American John Isner. The defender of the title, the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, is not qualified for this competition, which brings together the best eight of the year.
The London event makes two victims, the Spanish Rafa Nadal and the Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. , respectively second and fourth in the world, who stopped participating because of physical problems.
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