The impossible happened at Halle on Wednesday as 10-time champion Roger Federer crashed out in the round-of-16 after losing to in-form Canadian tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The match appeared to be going to script at the end of the opening set as Federer leveraged a break of serve to take it 6-4.

However, the momentum shifted thereafter in a way that the Swiss wouldn’t have imagined as the Canadian, having suddenly found his range and rhythm, blitzed the champion 6-3 in the second and 6-2 in the decider to romp home.

After raising visions of a strong grass court season with an impressive run at Roland-Garros, the defeat on Wednesday will have raised fresh doubts on his prospects at All England.

Roger Federer says he wasn’t happy with the deciding set went down

Speaking to reporters after the shock defeat, an understandably downcast Federer admitted that he wasn’t happy with how he failed to put up a fight in the deciding set.

He said he was emotionally overwrought after the defeat and hence, wanted to take some time before arriving for the press conference as he did not want to speak any word in anger in an emotionally vulnerable state.

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“Today I needed time to digest the third set, I was unhappy for how it ended, was similar to Geneva one. I took my time before coming into (the) press conference because I didn’t want to say wrong things played by emotions,” Federer said.

Reflecting on his extended phase in rehabilitation after undergoing a second knee surgery last year, the 39-year-old said that the spell where he was trying to regain full fitness was a huge challenge for him.

He added that things are never the same for an athlete when he has undergone multiple surgeries.

The Swiss had withdrawn from the French Open after coming through a grueling four-set win in his third-round victory over German Dominik Koepfer.

Federer says the rehab process was a challenge for him

Federer released a statement saying that he pulled out on the advice of his team and underlined the importance of listening to one’s body at his age.

“The rehab process was a huge challenge for me. Everybody who has had multiple surgeries knows what I’m talking about. Things don’t come easy anymore and that’s sometimes is the major concern,” the champion said.

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With not much time left between now and the start of Wimbledon, the Swiss knows he is in a race against time to get himself into gear for All-England.

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The task is cut out for the champion but knowing how he has redefined the word ‘impossible’ time after time, resurrecting the grass court season is not beyond him.