Roger Federer finished his incredible singles career with a 1251-275 score. Roger’s 200th ATP loss came in Rotterdam 2013 when he fell to Julien Benneteau 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 21 minutes in the quarter-final. Federer was the defending champion in Rotterdam, standing as one of the favorites at every indoor event on the calendar.
The Swiss had reached the final in nine of the previous ten indoor tournaments ahead of 2013, winning seven titles and hoping for more in Rotterdam. Instead, Benneteau stunned him on February 15 and delivered Federer’s earliest indoor loss since 2009 when he toppled him in the second round of the Paris Masters!
Julien played better on the second serve and fended off three out of five break chances. The Frenchman took almost half of the return points and secured five breaks to hand Federer’s 200th ATP loss! Roger struggled to find the rhythm in his games.
He sprayed too many errors and won only ten out of 30 points on the second serve to finish empty-handed.
Roger Federer experienced his 200th ATP loss to Julien Benneteau in Rotterdam 2013.
Benneteau landed a backhand down the line winner in the encounter’s first game to grab an early break and gain confidence.
He landed two winners at 30-30 in the second game to cement the advantage and settle into a fine rhythm. The defending champion pulled the break back in the fourth game following his rival’s double fault and locked the result at 2-2.
Roger experienced another poor service game at 3-3, spraying a forehand error and sending the rival in front. Julien opened a 5-3 gap after Roger’s careless forehand in game eight and pushed strong on the return again in the next one.
Benneteau grabbed another break and wrapped up the opener 6-3 following a high-quality tennis. Roger found himself a set and a break down after losing serve at 1-2 in set number two, with his forehand letting him down again.
Benneteau confirmed the lead with two winners in game five and moved closer to the finish line. With no room for mistakes, Roger raised his level and rattled off eight straight points. The Swiss held at love in game six for 2-4 and produced a break at love a few minutes later to return to the positive side.
Federer held at 30 in game eight to lock the result at 4-4 and gain additional confidence. Julien ended his downfall with a hold at love in game nine, and Roger served well at 4-5 to prolong his chances. Federer created two break points on the return in game 11, and Benneteau denied them with strong hitting.
The Frenchman erased the third break point with a service winner and fired another to wrap up the game and open a 6-5 gap. Roger served to stay in contention in game 12 and sprayed a backhand error to hand the set and the match to his opponent.
