Roger Federer blames DRAINING humidity for shock US Open defeat to John Millman

Federer and Millman clashed under the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York in a tie which finally drew to a conclusion just after 1am local time (6am BST).

The world No 2 struggled to cope with the sweltering conditions in the tightly-packed ground as Millman, ranked No 55 in the world, recovered from a set down to win 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6.

Federer believes his Australian opponent was more accustomed to the heat because of his residence in Brisbane.

And Federer blamed the lack of air circulation for his poor performance, which came with 77 unforced errors.

“I just thought it was very hot tonight,” Federer said.

“Was just one of those nights where I guess I felt I couldn’t get air.

“There was no circulation at all. I don’t know, for some reason I just struggled in the conditions tonight.

“It’s one of the first times it’s happened to me.

“Yeah, it’s uncomfortable. Clearly just keep on sweating more and more and more and more as the match goes on. You lose energy as it goes by.

“But John was able to deal with it better. He maybe comes from one of the most humid places on earth, Brisbane.

“I knew I was in for a tough one. Maybe when you feel like that, as well, you start missing chances, and I had those. That was disappointing.

“But, look, at some point also I was just happy that the match was over, I guess.”

was denied a quarter-final showdown with Novak Djokovic as he crashed out of the tournament.

But he also felt the courts were playing a lot slower this year, adding to his demise.

“When you feel like that, everything is off, so… But, look, I’ve trained in tougher conditions,” Federer added.

“I’ve played in the daytime, you know, at 120. Some days it’s just not the day where the body can cope with it.

“I do believe since the roof is on that there is no air circulation in the stadium.

“I think just that makes it a totally different US Open. Plus conditions maybe were playing slower this year on top of it. You have soaking wet pants, soaking wet everything.

“The balls are in there, too. You try to play. Everything gets slower as you try to hit winners.

“Again, look, I thought the match was tough.

“I wish I could have led two sets to love and then maybe the match would be different, you know, and I would find a way, because I did have my chances all the way till the end. It was just tough.

“I thought John played a great match in difficult conditions.”