With his loss to 114–ranked qualifier Federico Delbonis in the Hamburg semifinals today, Roger Federer has lost in back-to-back tournaments to players ranked outside of the Top 100 for the first time since the summer of 2002.
World No. 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky upset the 17-time Grand Slam winner at Wimbledon.
Federer is undergoing a racquet change, switching to a new 98-inch prototype that is not available to consumers yet, Wilson’s Jon Muir told the Wall Street Journal.
Four-time Hamburg champion Federer said the racquet did not play a role in his loss.
"I don’t think it had much to do with the racquet today,” Federer told reporters. “I tried everything I could at this tournament. It’s been a difficult week throughout. But I’m happy I fought through many matches. It gives me the matches I was looking for."