Federer has made ominous sounds of struggle this week as he tries to manage a back injury and the residual effects of a knee operation after the Australian Open.
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The Swiss maestro who withdrew from last week’s Madrid Open, was a fraction of his usual best against the 15th-ranked Dominic Thiem on Thursday.
“Now, obviously, time starts ticking more towards Paris”, Federer assured.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel tomorrow. It matters what comes now in the next couple of months”, Federer told a news conference. With two titles and a record of 32-9, he trails only top-ranked Novak Djokovic (34) for the most match wins this year.
“I thought I was OK and was ready to play and came back, so I’m just disappointed”, Azarenka said.
“If I can play 100% again and move again correctly, my mind’s in a good place”.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion only chose to face Thiem at the last minute on Central Court, and the Austrian capitalised to finish off an obviously ailing Federer in 1 hour, 18 minutes.
His path could be eased by the absences of Swiss pair Roger Federer, a four-time finalist, and Stanislas Wawrinka, who was stopped at the semi-finals past year.
“It would have been easy not to play and then just be unsure how I was going to feel in Paris. I’m still confident I will be fine somehow”.
At 22, Thiem is the youngest player in the world top 20 and he advances to the quarter-finals in Rome. The Japanese player was a 6-1, 6-4 victor over France’s Richard Gasquet.
He won the French Open for the only time in 2009 but has failed to make it past the quarter-finals since 2012.
Spanish ace Nadal, who has not beaten Djokovic in their last six meetings, faces the Serbian later Friday at the Foro Italico.
Djokovic recovered for a 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Thomaz Belluci of Brazil.
The world number four took the first set on a tie-break but was broken three times as Monaco claimed the second. Nishikori took 1 hour 39 minutes to knock out the talented youngster.
Also, Johanna Konta of Britain upset U.S. Open runner-up Roberta Vinci before the Italian’s home crowd, 6-0, 6-4.
“He beat Goffin last week in Madrid and (Richard) Gasquet in Monte Carlo”, said Murray.
In another unusual result Novak Djokovic suffered his first wipeout set in almost four years before beating Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 0-6 6-3 6-2.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, overcame a tight first set against compatriot and qualifier Christina McHale to prevail 7-6 (9/7), 6-1 and maintain her bid for a fourth Italian Open crown. “Conditions were ideal. I practised on centre court every day for about two hours a day”.
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“Unfortunately it was true”, Williams said of the decision to try dog food.
