'Defiant' Federer says is 'still confident' about future ahead of ATP World Tour Finals

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has said that he is confident that he can still compete at the top of the men's game in the future beginning with the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals despite enduring a rough year in which he failed to reach a Grand Slam final.

Federer, who has slipped to seventh in the world rankings, has won just one tournament this year and made early exits at Wimbledon and the US Open.

According to Sport24, although the Swiss is seventh in the race to reach the Tour Finals, which will feature the season's best eight players, he, however, said that he believes his game is coming back, adding that it is an extra motivation for him to play well and compete in the tournament and in other competitive events in the future.

Stating that he is focused on his own game and his first-round opponent for now, Federer, who has won the event a record six times, said that although he has no idea as to what the situation is now, he is hoping to be a part of the tournament as it was his goal at the beginning of the season to qualify for it.

Refusing to dwell on his recent disappointments, the 17-time Grand Slam champion said that he had taken time off since the US Open to recharge his batteries and is now focused on a strong finish to the season and on planning for 2014.

Federer also said that there is no reason why he cannot continue to compete with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who are all younger than him, adding that he will always continue have high expectations from himself.