Sad Day For The Die – Hard Federer Fans

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 10th November 2013

Sad Day For The Die - Hard Federer Fans

epa03944174 Switzerland's Roger Federer following his two sets to love loss to Spain's Rafael Nadal during a Barclays ATP World Tour semi-finals tennis match at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 10 November 2013. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Roger Federer will let the mental and physical aches from his 7-5, 6-3 World Tour Finals semi-finals loss to Rafael Nadal heal while he plots strategy for a return to full form next season. The 17-time grand slam champion who is likely to finish an unfamiliar seventh in the table, was bold enough to lay out his hopes for 2014, which starts for him in a bit under two months with a first-time appearance in Brisbane in late December.

His goals: “It would be nice to stay in the top four, top eight, that kind of thing, for seeding purposes more than anything else. Other than that, it’s either world number one or tournaments or big tournaments in general. Also something exciting, leaving the tournaments as winner.”

As he wraps up his worst showing in a decade with less than 50 match wins and only one title earned on grass in Halle, Federer is counting on a productive off-season – hopefully without any physical worries such as the back pain which bothered him occasionally during 2013.

While he moves ahead with longtime Swiss coach Severin Luthi after parting last month with Californian Paul Annacone, the 32-year-old remains optimistic on his longevity. “I think something’s possible for next year, this was a stronger finish than I thought it was going to be in Basel (final), Paris (semi-final) and London.

” I’m more positive now looking ahead than I would have been a few months ago where I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after the US Open. I’m back confident and excited, going into the off season and starting again next year. The rankings are secondary for me. It’s important to stay within a certain ranking.