The BNP Paribas Masters in Paris is one of the few tournaments that Roger Federer has not won in his career. The title at this prestigious indoor event will remain absent from the Federer resume after the Swiss maestro was shocked in his opening match Wednesday, losing to Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
“He played incredible at the end. Julien went out and got the victory,” said Federer. “I definitely had chances. I missed them. I feel fine physically, and mentally I was fresh to do really well here.”
“He played some of the best tennis I have ever seen him play,” television commentator Robbie Koenig said of the 27-year-old Benneteau.
At one point, the Frenchmen connected on 25 consecutive first sets at the end of the first set into the second set for a 78 percent total first serve percentage in the match. He sealed the match with an ace down the tee.
Federer will next play in the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals in London November 22-29.
The opening match loss to Federer marked his earliest tournament loss since falling to Gilles Simon 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in his opening match in Toronto in 2008. In six previous visits to the BNP Paribas Masters, Federer’s best result has been quarterfinal finishes in 2002, 2003 and 2008.
Federer’s 2002 quarterfinal appearance at the BNP Paribas Masters was quite important as it helped him qualify for the season-ending Masters for the first time in his career. Rene Stauffer, the author of the Federer biography THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) summarizes that event in this brief book excerpt below.
The final ATP event of the year is the Tennis Masters Series in Paris, played at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, a majestic entertainment arena located on the north bank of the Seine featuring manicured grass-covered sides on its outside walls. The event usually decides the final qualifiers for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup and 2002 was no different. Federer officially booked his ticket for Shanghai when Tim Henman lost in the third round to Nicolas Escude and Federer straight-setted Tommy Haas to reach the quarterfinals. With his goal achieved, Federer’s quarterfinal with Hewitt lacked the tension of his previous matches, and he lost to the world No. 1 in straight sets.