Tennis: Federer eyes first win of 2013

INDIAN WELLS: The Indian Wells Masters couldn’t come at a better time for Roger Federer, a four-time champion in the California desert who is seeking his first tournament title of 2013. The Swiss great, seeded second in the first of the ATP’s elite Masters events of the year behind world number one Novak Djokovic, missed out on retaining titles in Rotterdam and Dubai. But Federer didn’t seem to think it was time to panic as he assessed his season so far. “Rotterdam, I was disappointed with. I felt I could have done better,” he said. “Dubai was a bit unfortunate, losing with three match points and having to explain the loss when you feel you should be preparing for the final. What happened, happened. I’m playing fine. I’m happy with my game.” In his second-round opener today, Federer will face Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2013.