Thiem stuns Federer in Stuttgart semis

Roger Federer uncharacteristically failed to nail two match points as Dominic Thiem stunned the top seed on the grass in the rain-disrupted Stuttgart semi-finals on Saturday.

The Swiss legend, who is returning from a back injury that ruled him out of the French Open, saw his preparations for Wimbledon unravel as Thiem battled through 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4.

The third seed Thiem, a Roland Garros semi-finalist who moved into the ATP top 10 only this week, will Sunday play for his fourth title of the season against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 after a rain interruption of more than three hours.

"You're always a little disappointed when you lose with match points," Federer said after surrendering the match points that would have given him a straight-sets victory. "But losing any match is not that great."

The contest was halted twice for a total of an hour by rain showers, but Federer - who turns 35 in August - did not attempt to make any excuses.

"It was a good match from both sides in tough conditions," he said.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who eased through the first set, put on a charge after falling behind 5-1 in the second set, winning five straight games. In the tiebreaker, Federer wasted one match point with a smash into the net. On the second, he tried to serve and volley behind a second serve but was passed by an impeccable return. Thiem won the set with a smash.

The third set was interrupted after the fifth game with Thiem up a break after Federer missed a volley at the net.

"We both had our chances throughout," Federer said. "Coming back in the second set was good but it was tough to lose in the breaker.

"I can play better, but he came up with some good shots when he needed them."

Thiem called the victory one of his best.

''I was incredibly nervous. I was fortunate in the tiebreaker but you need good luck to beat the best player on grass. I can't believe that I beat him on grass,'' said Thiem, who has little experience on grass. Federer is a seven-time Wimbledon champion.

Federer's 2016 season has been interrupted by knee surgery and back pain which forced him to miss tournaments at Rotterdam, Dubai, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, and much of the clay season including the French Open.

His last title came in the autumn at home in Basel.

Date: 11 June 2016, Source: AFP and AP

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Federer reaches Stuttgart semifinals, grabs new record

Roger Federer beat Florian Mayer 7-6 (2), 7-6 (1) on Friday to reach the Stuttgart grass court semi-finals, claiming another record in the process.

The world number three moved ahead of Ivan Lendl to stand second in career match wins with his 1,072 victories putting him behind Jimmy Connors (1,256).

Federer dispatched Germany's Mayer for the seventh time without a loss as he advanced into a final-four showdown with Austrian Dominic Thiem, who recovered to defeat Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Federer is playing for the first time in a month after suffering with back pain which forced him to skip the French Open.

"I think it was a good match really, with long rallies," said Federer. "I thought that I played much better. I'm not sure if the stats showed it, but I felt that I served better. I'm really pleased how I felt this morning, my shoulder is a little sore having served a lot against Fritz. But that's exactly the kind of thing I need to feel having gotten back onto the match courts.

"The feeling was better, I felt I was playing up and down the court more, coming to the net and seeing things a bit better. My serve was more consistent and accurate and I played two good tie-breakers. I'm very pleased, this was a step up from the last match.

"I'm now really excited about the semi-final against Thiem, who has had a great run this year," said Federer. "It will be a tough match, but I hope my experience will help me."

Federer won an impressive 88 per cent of points on his first serve and thumped down 15 aces in a match with fine margins.

He improved to 7-0 against Mayer, who saved one set point at 5-6, 30/40 in the first set. Federer also recovered from 15/40 and saved three set points at 5-6 in the second set.

World number seven Thiem said he has achieved more this week on grass than he had imagined.

"It's tough to play Roger on any surface, especially on grass. He is the best on grass. Against him, I have no expectations."

The 22-year-old said that beating an injured Federer a month ago on clay in Rome meant nothing.

"I can win on clay, that is my surface and I feel very confident against almost all players," he said.

"But grass is different for me. I'm unbelievably happy with this semi-final, anything that comes now is a big bonus."

Thiem improved to 43-11 on this year, which includes three ATP World Tour titles.

German seventh seed Philipp Kohlschreiber beat Radek Stepanek 6-4, 7-5 while Juan Martin del Potro overhauled French fourth seed Gilles Simon 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-0.

Date: 10 June 2016, Source: AFP and ATP

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Federer overcomes Fritz on return from injury; Draws level with Lendl on match wins

In his first match in a month, Roger Federer overcame a stiff challenge from American teenager Taylor Fritz to reach the Mercedes Cup quarterfinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win on Thursday.

"It wasn't easy," said Federer. "I thought Fritz had some good moments there. He gained control of the baseline, he had a little bit of an upper-hand at times. He served well and I was a little bit cautious, unsure of how to move and questioning my defence. These are the things I will need to iron out.

"I can take a lot of confidence out of this match. I need to improve a few things, but I served big and I was able to handle three sets over two days, and find some energy at the end of the match. I know I have an extra gear. My next goal is to stretch leads - once I get a lead, I need to know that I can protect it then take the next step."

The match resumed on Thursday with Federer leading Fritz 4-3 in the first set, following a rain suspension overnight. Fritz, who had previously played two Top 10 players, converted his fourth set point opportunity in the 12th game of the second set.

"It's always disappointing to take a loss, when you've come close and you've definitely had chances in the match," said Fritz. "I played great and if you'd told me before that I would have taken a set off Federer, I would have been happy."

Federer, who last played in a third-round Rome loss to Dominic Thiem, then missed the French Open, is building for another run at Wimbledon, where he is a seven-time champion.

He has now drawn level with Ivan Lendl on 1,071 victories, for the second-most match wins in the Open Era (since May 1968). Jimmy Connors is the overall leader with 1,256 victories.

1. Jimmy Connors - 1,256
2. Roger Federer - 1,071
2. Ivan Lendl - 1,071
4. Guillermo Vilas - 929
5. John McEnroe - 877
6. Andre Agass - 870
7. Stefan Edberg - 801
8. Rafael Nadal - 796
9. Ilie Nastase - 780
10. Pete Sampras - 762

Federer will play Florian Mayer in the quarter-final.

Date: 9 June 2016, Source: ATP and AFP

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Federer says he is ready for grass-court season

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is healthy again and looking forward to the grass-court season.

Federer, who pulled out of Roland Garros because of a back injury, was rehabbing and making sure he'd be healthy for a strong grass-court campaign. On Sunday, he said withdrawing from the Grand Slam was the right move.

“I feel much better again. It's been a good last three weeks. No setbacks,” Federer said in Stuttgart while the Roland Garros final was taking place. “My back's good again. I feel much stronger. I was pretty fragile three weeks ago.”

Federer, 34, had played at Roland Garros every year since 1998. Missing the tournament was emotional at first, he said, but he knew that skipping it this year would be the right move for the long run.

“It was much better for me to look forward to the rest of the season, rest of my life, really. I didn't want to have setback after setback and injure myself maybe further,” Federer said. “In hindsight, that was definitely the right decision.

“I trained a lot, was often in the gym. I will keep working hard so I will be ready for my first game on Wednesday or Thursday.”

At the Mercedes Cup in Germany, Federer will join other Top 20 players, including Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Gilles Simon. The World No. 3 is eager to finally play in a tournament again. Federer has played in only four tournaments this year, including two since the Australian Open. He underwent knee surgery in February and has had to withdraw from other events because of a stomach virus and his aching back.

“It hasn't been a great year for me so far. I was only able to play one tournament at full strength, the Australian Open. Since then injuries has kept bothering me.

“But every time I play on grass I have high expectations. With the season I am having I have to be careful preparing myself and with how high my expectations are.

“It will be a good week when I get on the court and play a match. A great week would be the semi-finals and a dream run would be to win,” Federer added.

“Crazier things have happened. Everything is possible this week.”

One of the all-time best grass-court players should feel at home in Stuttgart. The tournament switched from clay to grass last year. Federer will be playing in the event for the first time.

“They've done a really nice job here. I think it's a huge step for them to go from clay to grass,” he said. “I hope it's something good for the future for this event, and I can't wait to play in it.”

Federer receives a first-round bye and is scheduled to play Taylor Fritz or a qualifier in the second round.

Date: 6 June 2016, Source: ATP and AFP

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Federer to play Stuttgart tournament through 2017

Roger Federer has agreed to play in the grass-court tournament in Stuttgart for the next two years, which would take his playing career at least halfway through 2017.

The June tournament switched from clay this year to open the extended grass-court season and is a key warmup event for Wimbledon, where Federer is seeking a record eighth title.

"Playing Stuttgart after clay season and before Wimbledon is great. As you know, I like to try something new, so I am curious to see what will happen in Stuttgart. I watched the first edition last June on television, it had a great atmosphere. I've always wanted to play Stuttgart, but it was always the wrong time after Wimbledon. Now that they've moved dates, the chance to play it is very exciting. I can't wait," said Federer.

The seven-time Wimbledon Champion is a fan of the new, extended three-week grass run-up to the Grand Slam.

"It's great to have an extra week, It doesn't sound like much, but for us players it's a lot. I love playing on grass. To play another tournament on grass is great for me. I can manage my energy and schedule. It's all about winning titles."

Tournament director Edwin Weindorfer commented, "With the appearance of Roger Federer in the next two years, we will expand into new dimensions with the MercedesCup. He shaped the sport of tennis like no other player on the international circuit. He has the highest approval ratings and is a huge attraction for fans around the world thanks to his superlative tennis. We are pleased that we can mark the 100th anniversary of Weissenhof tournament with tennis and sports idol Roger Federer playing the MercedesCup in Stuttgart 2016."

Dr. Jens Thiemer, VP Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "The participation of Mercedes-Benz ambassador Roger Federer at the MercedesCup in 2016 is a very big win for the Weissenhof especially in the 100th anniversary of its existence. This again shows the enormous appeal of the Stuttgart tournament's switch to grass last year. The MercedesCup serves players as a first-class preparation for Wimbledon."

The 34-year-old Federer had previously said he was already planning for 2017, deflecting questions about eventual retirement.

Federer is playing at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week, advancing to the semifinals after winning all three of his group-stage matches.

Date: 21st November 2015, Source: AP and MercedesCup

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