Injured Federer pulls out of Paris

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has forfeited his quarterfinal match against James Blake in the Paris Masters because of a stiff back.

Friday’s withdrawal means Federer will finish 2008 without a single win in the nine-event Masters Series for the first time since 2003.

Federer wrote on his website he had been having problems with his back for a few days. He said he felt a surge of pain while serving in an earlier match.

“I woke up this morning and it did not respond to treatment I had last night. As a precaution, and because I would be unable to play at 100 per cent tonight, I have unfortunately had to take the difficult decision not to play.”

Federer, who is currently ranked number two in the world, has never made it past a quarterfinal match at the tournament.

Shortly after Federer’s announcement, top-ranked Rafael Nadal pulled out of his quarterfinal match after losing the first set to Nikolai Davydenko 6-1.

Nadal retired from the match due to a thigh injury.