Roger Federer is out of the Qatar Open tennis after his loss to Nikoloz Basilashvilli in the quarter-finals.
The 20-time Grand Slam made his return to tennis after a 14-month injury lay off at the tournament and was beaten today 3-6 6-1 7-5.
"I'm actually happy that I was able to play back-to-back three-set matches against top players," Federer said after the match.
"That's an important step forward to me, like I said, I'm not 100% yet. I can feel it, I can see it. From that standpoint, what's important is to be 100% by the grasscourt season. I'm still building up.
Until next time, Roger.
🎥: @TennisTV | @rogerfederer | @QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/DnYWizo2bL— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 11, 2021
"So this is a stepping stone. I'm actually happy how I felt today on court overall. We've just got to take a real good look at the schedule and see how much workload the body and knee can still take.
What's the best way to prepare for basically the beginning of the season for me, which is the grasscourt season,"
39-year-old Federer added that he'll make a decision in the next 24-hours about whether he'll play at the upcoming ATP 500 event in Dubai.