France's Monfils beats Federer to level Davis Cup final

Roger Federer’s valiant attempt to shake off a back injury backfired spectacularly when the Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion was swept aside by Gael Monfils (pictured) Friday as France leveled the Davis Cup final at 1-1 on Friday.

Monfils triumphed 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and posted his first win on clay over Federer, who decided to play despite the injury that forced him to pull out of the title match at the ATP Finals last Sunday.

Federer had only two short training sessions earlier this week and looked out of sorts while Monfils hit 44 winners including 10 aces. The Swiss, who is chasing a maiden win in the team competition, dropped his serve five times and could not convert the two break points he earned.

It was a stark contrast to Federer’s superb display in London last week, where he eased past opponents but hurt his back during his semifinal victory over Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka. Federer, however, said switching from hard court to clay and being short of practice was the main reason for his loss, rather than pain.

“Clearly I did feel, not having hit and played and moved at all for five days, and Gael did play well,” he said. “It’s not like I couldn’t play at all. It was a proper match, and he was the better player at the end.”

- AFP