Federer looks to close in on Djokovic at homecoming

Nadal and Federer have had wildly contrasting fortunes at the Swiss Indoors


Afp October 19, 2014

BASEL: Local favourite Roger Federer and his longstanding rival Rafael Nadal will be working on two completely different agendas when the Swiss Indoors begins on Monday.

The event, which Basel-born Federer has won five times, marks the penultimate week of the points race to the World Tour Finals in London, beginning in just over three weeks.

The 33-year-old Federer is among those who have already qualified, along with world number one Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka and US Open champion Marin Cilic.

Federer, who has played in the last eight finals at the St Jakobshalle — boasting a win-loss record of 37-3 at home —looks to close the gap on Djokovic at the top of the rankings table.

Nadal, meanwhile, will be desperately seeking some reassurance after recently being plagued by injury. The nine-time French Open winner has not played in Federer's backyard for a decade and missed last year’s tournament due to fatigue, despite signing a three-year appearance fee contract in 2012, which he is yet to honour.

Even with an appendix that will require surgery in the upcoming weeks, the 28-year-old Spaniard seems determined to at least make an appearance for the Swiss fans as he searches for his first ever win in the city after losses in 2003 and 2004.

Nadal's camp says they will decide with doctors after Basel whether or not the world number three should play in Paris or go for surgery on his appendix, which he has been so far treating with antibiotics.

First-round opponents

Basel will be crucial in the race for the remaining places in the field at the eight-man World Tour Finals showpiece.

Federer begins in the first round against Luxembourg veteran Gilles Muller, while Nadal takes on a qualifier.

Third seed Wawrinka, meanwhile, starts against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan who was a semi-finalist in Moscow on Saturday.

Milos Raonic takes the fourth seeding, with the Canadian hoping to recover from the illness which compromised his last two events in Shanghai and Moscow. He plays American Steve Johnson.

Fellow year-end contender Grigor Dimitrov is seeded fifth, ahead of Ernests Gulbis, with David Goffin and Ivo Karlovic being seeded seventh and eighth respectively.

 

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