http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/4451105.stm World number one Roger Federer insisted defeat to Richard Gasquet at the Monte Carlo Masters had no bearing on his chances of winning the French Open. "This is not a setback at all,"said the 23-year-old. "If I had won here, it wouldn't help me much because at the French Open it's the best of five sets and only there we will really see how good I am playing. "I have won three matches here so it's a good result for a first tournament of the season on clay." The 6-7 (1-7) 6-2 7-6 (10-8) loss to the world number 101 was only Federer's second in his last 53 matches, a run stretching back to the Olympics last year. It also ended a 25-match winning streak and his hopes of becoming the first man to win three straight Masters Series titles. The French Open is the only Grand Slam to have eluded Federer so far, and the Swiss believes his clay-court tennis will improve before the tournament begins on 23 May. "I know what I have to work on, I know where I can still improve," he said. "I know what has been going well. I think it was the right choice to come to Monaco." Three years ago, a 15-year-old Gasquet was tipped for stardom when, at the same tournament, he became the youngest player to come through qualifying. He went on to become the youngest player for 14 years to win an ATP match, but his progress has since stalled. Federer believes Gasquet's march to the Monaco semi-finals, where he will face fellow 18-year-old Rafael Nadal, could kickstart his career. He's got a great backhand, probably one of the best single-handed backhands I have seen," said Federer. "He returns really well, especially off the second serve but I don't know how that will work on hard courts. "He's dangerous. He's got the tools, it's a matter of consistency. That's what I was struggling with at first and I think he was doing, too. "I think a result like this at Monte Carlo should boost his motivation." --

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