KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Roger Federer lost his second consecutive match on Saturday at the Miami Open and with it the No. 1 ranking, saying afterward that he would sit out the clay-court season, including the French Open.
The big-serving Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, a qualifier ranked 175th, rallied to upset Federer, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Federer, 36, had been the oldest man ever to hold the No. 1 ranking, but he will lose that designation to Rafael Nadal when new rankings are released on April 2.
“I deserve it after this match,” Federer said of the demotion.