Roger Federer has set his sights on a London spot as he returns to action at the Shanghai Masters.
Federer is hoping to qualify for the end-of-season Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena, but firstly he needs to rediscover his form in China after his US Open disappointment.
The 17-time grand slam champion is enduring his worst season in more than a decade and suffered a straight sets defeat by Tommy Robredo in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
He is seventh in the standings but Stanislas Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet, Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are not far behind and Federer cannot afford another slip-up in Shanghai.
The Swiss player, who will face either Lleyton Hewitt or Andreas Seppi in his first match, said: “It was the goal at the beginning of the season to qualify for (London).
“I consider it the absolute best-of-the-best tournament out there, so I want to be part of that. It’s extra motivation for me to play well and be part of that great tournament.”
Federer has been encouraged by his performance in practice and remains confident he can capture more trophies in 2014.
When asked about the Robredo loss, Federer said: “It’s one of those things you just want to move on from.
“I think my game’s been coming back, which has been very important. Now it’s about staying positive and working hard every single day.
“My mindset now is next year is going to be a great year again where I’m not going to have that many points to defend, especially at some very key moments where I consider myself a favourite. For that reason, I’m really looking forward to 2014 already.
“It has been a bit of a rocky patch the last couple of months but my expectations will always remain very high. That will never change.
“As long as I’m physically and mentally fine, there’s no reason for me not to be taking part in the big matches.”
