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Roger Federer.
© Julian Finney/Getty Images
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Roger Federer suspects he knows why he hasn't been able to add to his record 16 Grand Slam titles the last two years.
The Swiss great last won a major championship at the 2010 Australian Open. He insists this has nothing to do with a declining game but ``a bit of confidence not on my side and on my opponent's side.''
``I've had some tough losses over the past couple of years,'' Federer said, without referring to any specific matches.
Federer is ranked No. 3 and is joined in the field by No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Andy Murray for the Dubai Championships, which start Monday.
Having broken Pete Sampras' mark of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, Federer missed breaking the American's 286-week reign at No. 1 by a single week.
``It would be great having that record but my life is very much OK without it, too,'' Federer said. ``Pete is a good friend and was an amazing champion for our game. I don't need to break every record he has. I came so close and I could have chased it if I had wanted to. I didn't choose to.''
Federer still believes he can return to No. 1, however, noting that he has won three titles in the past four months - the most recent in Rotterdam this month.
``I feel if I play really well until the U.S. Open, then obviously there is a shot. But then again there is a shot for about 10 players,'' Federer said. ``I am aware I'm not the only one. But I feel like I'm on a good run right now. I've won a lot of tournaments in a short time, which gives me a lot of confidence.''