Roger Federer said it was time to go back to the drawing board after the Swiss tennis great lost the first match of his comeback-proper in Geneva on Tuesday. In his first outing for two months, the 39-year-old lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to Spanish clay court specialist Pablo Andujar to wreck his hopes of stringing a run of matches together ahead of a series of tournaments that includes the French Open, Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. Federer tentatively returned to the courts in Doha in March, having been out for more than a year following two knee surgeries, winning his first match before losing his second.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was hoping to find some form on the Geneva clay but tumbled at the first hurdle in his first defeat on home soil in seven and a half years.

“I know my limitations at the moment,” Federer told reporters.

“People expect a lot from me and I have high expectations for myself. So when I walk out of a match and feel I could have played so much better, it feels strange and it’s disappointing.

“This is the process I need to go through. I can’t get too down on myself.

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