splitting with coach Paul Annacone.
Federer, who owns a record 17 Grand Slam titles, announced Saturday on his website that he
will stop working with Annacone after 3 ½ seasons together.
"After numerous conversations culminating at the end of our most recent training block, we felt
like this was the best time and path for both of us," the posting continues.
The move comes only two days after Federer's latest surprising loss in a year filled with them:
He was beaten 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in the third round of the Shanghai Masters by Gael Monfils, a
former top-10 player now ranked 42nd and recently back from injury.
The defeat hurt the 32-year-old Federer's chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP
Tour Finals, a tournament that gathers the top eight singles players.
Federer used to be a lock for the field, year-in and year-out — he spent more
weeks at No. 1 in
the ATP rankings than any other man. But Federer was ranked only No. 7 last Monday and is
no longer nearly the dominant presence he was for a decade.
The tournament in China was the first for Federer since his fourth-round exit at the U.S. Open,
where he lost to 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo in straight sets on Sept. 3.
"Roger, when he was No. 1, [compared] to the Roger right now," Robredo said that day, "he's
not maybe [playing] with the same confidence, no?"
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