Federer blames failure on lack of confidence

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Roger Federer blames a loss of confidence for failing to add to his record 16 Grand Slam titles in more than two years.

The former No. 1 last won a major title at the 2010 Australian Open but denies his form has been in decline, instead attributing that to “a bit of confidence not on my side and on my opponent’s side.’’

“I’ve had some tough losses over the past couple of years,’’ Federer said, without nominating any specific matches.

Federer is in the United Arab Emirates along with No. 1 Novak Djokovic and fourth-ranked Andy Murray to play in the Dubai Championships, which started yesterday.

Having broken Pete Sampras’ mark of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, Federer missed out on breaking the American’s 286-week reign at No. 1 by a single week. Now ranked third, the Swiss star has no realistic chance of the record with Djokovic so dominant. AP