Roger Federer took a philosophical approach after his straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic in the Dubai final.
Federer had been determined to gain revenge for his Australian Open defeat to Djokovic last month but the Swiss found himself totally outplayed in straight sets as Djokovic claimed his third straight Dubai title.
Federer's backhand can be known to go walkabout especially on slower hard courts and clay and Djokovic ruthlessly targeted that side with precision and power, allowing Federer precious few chances to utilise his fearsome forehand.
However Federer attempted to play down the significance of Djokovic's win, pointing out that he beat him three times in the autumn indoor swing.
“I think Novak played well,” he said. “[It was] obviously [a] disappointing end as well to the match. I guess you can't win them all. I played so well in Doha in the finals, in London in the finals, in Basel in the finals. I guess I had to mess one up. It's a pity, but, look, Novak played great.
“I definitely feel he's playing well. I thought he was already playing well at the end of last year. We had a couple of real close ones. This one has been one of the rather disappointing matches for me against him. I can't play great every time either. So it's been a tough one, but I'm not too disappointed. It's another final for me. I tried tonight. Just didn't really happen for me.”
