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Roger Federer fans claim 'Uniqlo curse' conspiracy

Roger Federer’s move from Nike to Uniqlo is good for his bank balance but rusted-on fans say it is ruining his tennis career.

The Swiss great shocked the sporting world when, after weeks of rumours, he walked out on Centre Court at Wimbledon wearing Uniqlo clothes.

Worth a reported US$300 million over 10 years, the switch will see the 37-year-old Federer into retirement.

While there are no indications he will put the racquet away any time soon, results at the pointy ends of tournament haven’t gone his way since linking with the Japanese clothing giants.

Beginning with Wimbledon, Federer has played four tournaments without winning a title.

The world No.2 was knocked out of the quarter-finals at the All England Club by Kevin Anderson, lost the Cincinnati Masters final to Djokovic and was stunned by Australia’s John Millman in the fourth round of the US Open.

Roger Federer’s fans say he is under a ‘Uniqlo curse’ – he has failed to win a title since the switch. Pic: Getty
Roger Federer’s fans say he is under a ‘Uniqlo curse’ – he has failed to win a title since the switch. Pic: Getty

After taking September off the tour to take part in the Laver Cup, where he won two singles matches and lost two doubles rubbers, Federer returned this week in Shanghai.

He first put together scratchy wins, dropping second sets in his first two matches, before losing to Borna Coric in the semi-final on Saturday.

Federer failed to make an impact on Coric’s serve, losing the match in straight sets without creating a single break point.

The top seed said he lacked “punch on the ball” but felt “explosive” on court, though he said he could have improved his serves.

His fans, though, say there is something more sinister at play:

Whether Federer breaks his duck before the year is out remains to be seen, having left open the possibility of playing just two more tournaments in 2018.

He will aim for a ninth title in his hometown Basel tournament, beginning October 22, before deciding whether he will play in the Paris Masters the following week.

The Swiss tournament will feature Juan Martin del Potro, Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic, while nearly all of the world’s top players are scheduled to be in France.

Federer’s last tournament for the season is expected to be the ATP Finals, featuring the top eight players, in mid-November.

Young gun sends Swiss great crashing out

Roger Federer admitted that he was lacking the “punch” of 13th-seeded Borna Coric after the Swiss great was turfed out of the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Saturday.

The Croatian stunned the 20-time grand slam champion 6-4 6-4 in what was an unusually error-strewn performance from Federer.

The 21-year-old Coric will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final after the Serb thrashed Alexander Zverev 6-2 6-1, leapfrogging Federer to No.2 in the world rankings.

Federer has not been at his best all week, dropping sets in the two opening matches of his wobbly title defence.

The 37-year-old top seed was more like his old self on Friday, defeating eighth seed Kei Nishikori in two high-quality sets.

But he made a slow start against Coric, ranked 19th in the world, getting broken in the first game.

Borna Coric reached the Shanghai final after easing past Roger Federer. Pic: Getty
Borna Coric reached the Shanghai final after easing past Roger Federer. Pic: Getty

There was a subtle shake of the head when Federer similarly lost his serve at the start of the second set.

“I thought he was better, I think he had more punch on the ball. He served better,” said Federer, proclaiming himself pleased nevertheless with his form.

“I feel like I’m explosive out there, returning well,” he added.

“Serving, I think, it’s okay, could be even a little bit better.

“I don’t think I played a match where I didn’t get broken, so that’s something a bit more unusual for me.”

In contrast, Coric – who is into his first Masters 1000 final – was largely untroubled on his serve.

with AFP