Roger Federer sought solace after Sunday's painful Masters Cup defeat by David Nalbandian in a fifth-set fightback that defied logic and comprehension.
The world number one was beaten 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 by the Argentine but not before he had clawed his way back from 4-0 down in the final set, despite being almost too exhausted to run.
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"I am very proud and happy that it turned out the way it did. I wish I could have two points further but that's how it goes. I was still on crutches three weeks ago."
The Swiss added: "I didn't really believe I could come so far after the injury, so this is, on the human side, a big, big tournament for me."
Federer almost completed a miraculous comeback when he served at 6-5 and 30-0 in the fifth, only for Nalbandian to hit back to force a decisive tiebreak which he won 7-3.
"Those first two sets took too long ... took too much out of me," said Federer after his 35-match winning streak had come to a shuddering halt.
"From the middle of the third set, I really started to feel like I'm struggling. I couldn't push up for my serves anymore. It was hard, you know."
RECORD BID
Federer's bid to win a third straight Masters Cup title and to equal John McEnroe's professional-era best record for a season of 82-3 set in 1984 also evaporated.
But Federer, who sprained his right ankle in training in Basel last month, took his defeat in typically philosophical fashion.
"I knew I was putting all those records on the line when I came here," said the Wimbledon and US Open champion, who had won his last 24 tournament finals.
"That it happened is sort of normal. It's just a pity now that I was so close. It hurts."
Federer, who won 11 ATP titles in 2005, beat Nalbandian in the tournament's curtain raiser last weekend, his first match back from injury.
He also produced the first 6-0, 6-0 whitewash in Masters Cup history against Nalbandian's countryman Gaston Gaudio in the semi-finals, but the final proved one match too far.
Even when he was against the ropes and had nothing left, Federer refused to throw in the towel. Quitting never crossed his mind, he said.
"Roger Federer doesn't pull out," he smiled. "Otherwise, he doesn't walk on court."
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