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PARIS. — Roger Federer said on Tuesday he still hopes to be able to defend Swiss colours in the Davis Cup tennis final against France in Lille this weekend despite a crippling back injury. He added that he and teammate Stan Wawrinka are back on the best of terms after an ugly bust-up. It has been a troubled build-up to say the least for the Swiss pair as they seek a first ever Davis Cup triumph for their country against a powerful French team on a specially laid indoor clay-court inside the Pierre Mauroy stadium — home for Lille football club — and expected to host a record 27 000 crowd.

All had been going well until the two Swiss stars — ranked second and fourth in the world — were pitted against each other in the semi-finals of the prestigious ATP World Tour Finals in London on Saturday evening.

Many thought there would be some kind of an “understanding” between the two given the importance of what faced them in Lille the following week.
Instead they embarked on one of the most draining matches of the season — nearly three hours of cut-throat tennis that Federer won 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) after saving four match points along the way.

There was a price to pay for both players, though, with the Australian Open champion distraught after a heart-breaking loss and Federer ailing with a back spasm that forced him the next day to pull out of the final against Novak Dkokovic.

On top of that, there was a bust-up that followed — Wawrinka taking umbrage at what he saw as inappropriate words from Federer’s wife Mirka from the players’ box at a key point in the third set.

Both players in Lille on Tuesday admitted that there had been an altercation, but both said it had been overplayed by the Press and that all was back to normal service between the two — Olympic doubles champions in Beijing in 2008. — AFP.