Roger Federer Says He Has Never Seen Rafael Nadal Play So Bad, Wishes That The Spaniard Recuperate Well From Appendicitis

Roger Federer was quite puzzled why Rafael Nadal opted to continue to play despite suffering from appendicitis. Nadal was diagnosed with appendicitis in Shanghai, but still decided to play in Basel, and eventually announced that he will not play in the remainder of the season to have appendectomy surgery.

Speaking to the press prior his semifinals match in Basel, Federer said that he couldn't completely understand why Nadal still played even though he wasn't really feeling at his top level. Federer said it was a "weird" decision on the Spaniard's part.

Nadal was ousted early in Shanghai because of his illness. He took a course of antibiotics for 10 days and then decided to still compete in the 2014 Swiss Indoors. Nadal reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, but he was upset by 17-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia in straight sets, 2-6, 6-7(4).

Federer praised Nadal for doing the best that he could, but also said that it was the first time that he had seen the Spaniard play in his worst tennis. "I have never seen Rafael play so bad, and I am sorry for him," Federer said. "I am sure that suffering from appendicitis is anything but fun, so I wish him to recover well.

Nadal announced his withdrawal from Paris and the World Tour Finals in London on his Facebook account. Nadal is due to have his surgery on Nov. 3

Federer won the title in Basel, his sixth trophy from the tournament. Currently, he competes in the 2014 BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. The 2011 champion is on a mission to knock Novak Djokovic off the world rankings and hopes that he finishes this season as World No. 1.

Federer received a first round bye and will face Jeremy Chardy of France in the second round on Oct. 29. Federer has met Chardy only twice in professional matches, which both happened in the current season. Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1. They first met in the semifinals of Brisbane International, and the Swiss won in the three-set match, 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-3. The pair's next meeting was in the second round of the Rome Open, a few days after Federer had become a father to his second set of twins. Chardy has avenged his defeat from Federer, 1-6 6-3 7-6 (6).

Even though Federer has not won a Grand Slam this season, his performance is far better than the average one in 2013. Chardy, on the other hand, had also been performing fairly well as of late, reaching the semifinals at the Valencia Open on Oct. 25.