Date:16/05/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/05/16/stories/2007051607892100.htm

Sport - Tennis

Federer to play without coach

Hamburg: Roger Federer will play at the French Open and Wimbledon without a coach. The top-ranked Swiss player, who has split from Tony Roche after a run of four tournaments without winning a title, said he wouldn't be hiring another coach in the near future.

"I'm definitely not going to take a coach for the French Open and Wimbledon because I know what it takes and I don't want anybody interfering with my preparation and with my tournaments," Federer said at the Hamburg Masters, where he has a first-round bye.

"Maybe down the road I'm going to look again for someone who's going to be able to help me out for practising," he added. Federer's worst slump since he became the top-ranked player in 2004 culminated with a straight-set loss to Italian wild card Filippo Volandri last week in the third round of the Rome Masters.

But Federer insisted that the defeat was not the reason for his split from Roche. "It's something that's been inside myself for a few months," Federer said. "It was a decision that wasn't easy, of course, because we're good friends and get along very well and he's helped me a lot over the last couple of years. — AP