Federer reveals season was affected by hand injury

Cape Town - Roger Federer has admitted that he has been struggling with a hand injury for quite some time. 

Federer, whose season ended in defeat against eventual champion Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals this past weekend, has since revealed that he has been secretly coping with an injury to his hand which affected his performances during the latter part of the season. 

“I do not always want to speak on the hand,” he said. 

“That should not be an excuse. But I had these problems with my hand, and that sure broke my rhythm sometimes. 

“I felt the hand for a long time, even here in London still a bit. 

“Even though it has been getting better and better, I could quickly count on my forehand again. 

“I hope that the complaints are finally gone after the holidays.” 

Federer is hopeful that having the holiday season off will allow the hand to recover and leave him fit as a fiddle for the start of the Australian Open in January.