17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has opened his Swiss Indoors campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 first round win over Adrian Mannarino at his home town of Basel on Monday.
According to Sport24, the five-time Basel champion needs to put up superhuman efforts this week as well as the upcoming Paris Masters if he is to secure one of four spots remaining in the eight-man field at the World Tour Finals in London next month.
Federer, seeded third behind holder Juan Martin del Potro and Czech Tomas Berdych, is duelling for the spot at the finals with compatriot and US Open finalist Stanislas Wawrinka, who stands a provisional seventh in the points race with his famed compatriot a mere five points adrift on eighth, the report said.
The Swiss said that he played well enough for a first round, adding that he is entirely confident about his plan.
He added that it was great to be back in Basel, as he got so much energy from the crowd, and that he is concentrating on playing well to qualify for London.
Having won only one ATP title this year, in Halle, he is at risk of missing out on the World tour Finals which he has won six times, the report added.
