Roger Federer aims for strong performances in Basel, Paris to qualify for London

World number seven Roger Federer said that he’s determined as ever to snag one of the four remaining spots for the ATP World Tour Finals which will take place in London in November. Federer suffered a setback in his campaign after losing his third round match at the Shanghai Masters this week to Gael Monfils of France.

Despite the loss, the 32-year old Swiss Maestro said he’s still optimistic about his chances.

“I still feel I’m heading in the right direction,” he said.

The Swiss star has two more tournaments to play in the coming weeks – the Swiss Indoors Basel and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. Strong performances in these tournaments will assure Federer a place at the ATP World Tour Finals, an event he has won six times.

“I’m just going to focus on trying to play well,” said Federer. “I’m just going to try to have a good tournament in Basel and Paris. In the end, if I get the invite [to London], I’ll be there.”

Federer admitted that injuries this season has hindered with his gameplay resulting to less than stellar results.

“I’m running [behind] with practice, because of the issues I’ve had this year,” said Federer.

“I really believe the extra week of practice, spending at least three hours on the tennis court everyday for seven straight days, is very important for me right now,” he added. “So clearly that makes me a bit more vulnerable in the early rounds.”

“I can still finish strong. I believe that,” he added. “There’s not much time left. But if I do qualify for London, that gives me an extra shot there. I usually play well indoors. So I hope this year’s going to be one of those years again.”