 Federer felt he should have seen off Seppi a lot quicker |
Roger Federer blamed a poor surface and a little claycourt rustiness for his laboured win over qualifier Andreas Seppi at the Monte Carlo Masters. The world number one eventually beat his Italian opponent 7-6 7-6 to reach round three in the principality.
"It was tough. There were a lot of bad bounces and he had already three matches in his legs," said Federer.
The Swiss will now play South Korean Lee Hyung-taik, who upset 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-4 6-3.
Federer suffered surprise early defeats in the first two Masters events of the season, losing in both Indian Wells and Miami to Argentine Guillermo Canas.
The 10-time Grand Slam champion also looked shaky in patches in Monte Carlo, hitting five unforced errors off his backhand in the 10th game of the first set.
"It happens, and I have to put it down my first match on clay in 10 months," said Federer.
"But winning two tie-breaks is always a good feeling. It is just a pity I could not put him away earlier."
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