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The 39-year-old was up 4-2 in the final set
against world number 75 Pablo Andujar of Spain but lost the next
four games to lose 6-4 4-6 6-4 in his only tuneup event on clay
before the French Open starts on May 30.
It was Federer's first match since his comeback in Doha in March
after sitting out over a year due to two knee surgeries.
"I think when you played so little and you know where your level
is at, and I think you saw that today, how can I think of
winning the French Open?" the 20-times major winner told
reporters.
"I'm just realistic that I know I will not win the French and
whoever thought I would or could win it is wrong.
"Of course, crazier things might have happened, but I'm not so
sure in the last 50 years at the French Open, somebody just
rocked up at 40-years-old, being out for a year and a half and
just go on to just win everything straight."
Federer said the next few weeks were important for his season.
"Regardless if you play tournaments or not, if you're back on
the Tour or you're practising again with top guys that you go
through the rhythm ... how it feels to be back on the Tour and
this is then how you start taking better decisions.
"So when I walk out of a match like today, and I feel like 'My
God, I could play so much better'. It feels strange and it's
disappointing, but at the same time, this is the process I need
to go through and that's why I can't get too down on myself and
I need to go back to the drawing board."
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Berhampore, India; Editing by
Peter Rutherford)
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