Federer aims to stop rot at Masters

SHANGHAI: World number one Roger Federer will aim to put an unusually patchy season behind him with victory number four at the elite Masters Cup starting on Sunday.

The defending champion, smarting from two rare defeats in the past month, signalled his determination by arriving nearly a week early for the year-ending showpiece.

"I'd like to get there early and get over the jetlag and get set to the surface over there and hopefully finish well over there," he said after slumping out of the Paris Masters.

The twin losses to Argentinas David Nalbandian have highlighted a rare blip by the metronomic Swiss, who has scarcely missed a beat in nearly fur years on top of the rankings.

Three more Grand Slams notwithstandig, Federer has been found wanting on several occasions including early-round shocks against Guillermo Canas (twice) and the unheralded Filippo Voandri.

His season record of eight losses against 64 wins is a shadow of last year's 92-5 and his 81-4 of 205.

However, with just two defeats in five appearances, Federer has made the Masters Cup his own and remains the man to beat at the futuristic Qi Zhong Stadium.

He has been boosted by a favourable draw against Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Gonzalez, neither of whom have beaten the Swiss, and Andy Roddick, whose last success against Federer was in 2003.

Federer will also berelieved the in-form Nalbandian, his conqueror in Pari and Madrid and in the 2005 asers final, has not qualifed for the eight-man event despite a late charge up the rankings.