PARIS ON LINE FOR BEATEN FEDERER

ROGER FEDERER swiftly handed back the world No 2 position to Andy Murray yesterday, but that will have been the least concern for the great Swiss. His 7-6, 6-4 loss to Dominic Thiem in the Italian Open guaranteed the Scot second seeding in the Roland Garros draw next week, even before he went out to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-0, 6-4. Uppermost on Federer’s mind, however, is whether he will make Paris at all, and thereby maintain his incredible run of playing in the last 65 Grand Slams. The 34-year-old has a nagging back complaint and had minor knee surgery in February. ‘The last couple of weeks it’s been more difficult,’ admitted Federer. ‘I see my chances as not great to have the most unbelievable run (at Roland Garros), but if maybe in three, four days, I can practise 100 per cent, then I believe that something is possible again. ‘But, as of now, clearly the way I’m playing is never going to be enough for any good run in Paris.’ By far Federer’s best chance of adding a late major to his career is Wimbledon, and he is clearly questioning whether it’s worth risking anything in Paris, where he has not gone past the quarter-finals since 2012. Murray (right) was in complete control against Chardy at 3-2 in the second with three break points before his concentration wandered and he suddenly found himself a point away from a 5-3 deficit. However, he recovered sufficient poise to register two more breaks and go through in 77 minutes. He will face David Goffin in a Davis Cup Final rematch in the quarter-finals after the Belgian inflicted a 6-0, 6-0 ‘double bagel’ on Tomas Berdych. Meanwhile, world No 1 Novak Djokovic suffered his first wipeout set in nearly four years before the Serb recovered to beat Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci 0-6, 6-3, 6-2. Jo Konta had earlier missed an excellent chance to add another quarter-final to her burgeoning CV when she was beaten 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 by world No 45 Misaki Doi of Japan. It was a missed opportunity for the British No 1 to break into the top 20. In truth, she was faced with a high-class performance from her opponent, who moves well on clay and possesses a strong forehand. Konta recovered from 1-5 in the second set to draw level, but faded in the third from 2-2 to miss out on progress in a draw that had opened up for her.