Roger Federer opens up on injuries after David Goffin ATP World Tour Finals defeat
ROGER FEDERER has refuted claims he was carrying an injury into his defeat to David Goffin at the ATP World Tour Finals.
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Federer cruised to the first set over Goffin in just 33 minutes but the Belgian roared back to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Jamie Delgado, Andy Murray’s coach working as a Sky Sports pundit during the tournament, and suggested that the Swiss might be struggling physically at the end of a long year.
However, Federer dismissed any suggestions that his physical state had played a part in the three-sets defeat.
“The knee's no problem at all,” Federer said.
“[My] back was just [a problem] in Montreal.
“Then there was this phase of finally feeling confident again, getting stronger and stuff.
“It took a little longer than I thought it would take, to be quite honest because I didn't feel it coming in a brutal way in Montreal.
“Even after New York still, I still did feel [my back].
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“So I'm actually very relieved that I was able to finish strong now in Shanghai, Laver Cup, Basel, now here again as well.
“It shows that things are in the past now.
“It's good to know that I can bounce back, you know, and get my confidence back.
“Other than that, I didn't have many problems other than I had sort of a groin issue after the Australian Open that I played on for probably about 10 days of the tournament.
“But then again, when I rested, I came to Dubai, I was okay again.
“So considering how last year went, this year was perfect!”
Federer did not play at the Paris Masters two weeks ago in an effort to manage his workload and prioritise the ATP World Tour Finals.
And the rumours about an injury appear to be started by Delgado after Federer did not practise on Wednesday before his final group match against Marin Cilic.
“To me, that’s either because he’s a little bit tired or his back is giving him a bit of trouble,” Delgado said.
“It would be pretty rare to take a day off during the tournament unless there is some sort of physical issue.”
And while Federer was far from his best against Cilic, there was little sign of any fatigue or injury.
The 36-year-old then spent a full two hours on court on Friday, hitting with 18-year-old Serb Miomir Kecmanovic and working with coaches Ivan Ljubicic and Severin Luthi.
