Roger Federer played down injury concerns after his 16-match unbeaten run this season came to an end in the final of Rogers Cup 2017 in Montreal on Sunday.
The 36-year-old lost in straight sets to German youngster Alexander Zverev in the highly-anticipated title clash. Federer was completely outplayed and it looked like he was not at his best towards the end of the match.
Federer's movement seemed to be restricted, but the 19-time Grand Slam champion revealed there was no major concern with his fitness, but only "pains here and there". However, the Swiss great said he would assess his condition in the coming days.
"I felt all right all week. Had a bit of muscle pain, aches and pains here and there, just because it's back on the match courts, on the hard courts," Federer said, as quoted by ATP's official website.
He added: "After vacation and practice, it's always a bit of a shock for the body. We'll have to wait and see now how I feel in the next couple of days."
Federer has carefully planned his stops this season. The seasoned campaigner, who skipped the second half of last season, came back strong to win the Australian Open and a Sunshine double in the early-season hard court swing.
He then skipped the entire clay season and his tactic worked wonders as he went on to win his 19th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July.
Focus on fitness ahead of US Open
Federer now has a chance to return to the top spot of ATP rankings for the first time since 2012. It will be a two-way battle between Rafael Nadal and the Swiss legend for the world number one spot at Western and Southern Open (Cincinnati Masters 1000), starting August 14, Monday.
However, any injury concern to Federer will hamper his chances of making a mark in Cincinnati. With the season's last Grand Slam, US Open, scheduled to begin later this month, the Swiss star will be hoping to keep himself injury-free.
Federer has already won two Grand Slam titles this year and his form on hard court-tournaments has been phenomenal. In the absence of Novak Djokovic and defending US open champion Stanislas Wawrinka absence, the 36-year-old is well-placed to win his sixth US Open crown.
A hungry Nadal and fitness concerns are the only two things standing in his way.
