Roger Federer will the top seed in Basel this week after Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to knee soreness.
The Spaniard lost the Shanghai Masters final to Federer on Sunday, a defeat that snapped his 16-match winning streak and that saw him playing with strapping just below his right kneecap.
Following the final, he said his participation in Basel was in doubt, and later made his final decision to prevent “over stressing” the knee.
Federer, who’ll shoot for his eighth Basel title this week, has a chance to cut Nadal’s lead in the rankings further.
Federer, the world No.2, trails Nadal by more than 1900 points but could cut that to 1460, with 500 points on offer to the champion at the indoor hardcourt event.
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