Wimbledon: Federer rejects retirement talk

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Roger Federer rejected talk he may leave the game despite his shock second-round defeat to Sergiy Stakhovsky at Wimbledon.

The defending champion failed to find his form and went down 6-7 (5/7) 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 7-6 (7/5) to Stakhovsky who is ranked 116th in the world.

Federer’s shock defeat ends an incredible run of 36 successive quarter-final appearances in Grand Slams over a nine-year period.

The 31-year-old was shocked on Centre Court as the rank outsider showed his class with his serve-and-volley approach working to perfection on several occasions.

Federer had his chances at vital moments but failed to take the opportunity before crashing out in a round that also claimed Rafael Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

His shock loss caused many to believe his time is up at SW19 but the seven-time Wimbledon winner rejected any talk he is past his best.

He said: “I still have plans to play for many more years to come. It’s normal for people to feel different after losing early all of a sudden. I’ll be okay. I’m very happy about it. I wish (my run) wasn’t going to end here today.

“But I don’t think that’s something fans are going to mourn, and neither am I. I can’t panic at this point, that’s clear. I just have to go back to work and come back stronger really.

“It’s hard to do sometimes, but usually I do turnarounds pretty good. There’s still a lot of tennis left. I’ll appreciate what I’ve achieved when I’m retired and that’s not right now.”

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