Is Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka's Alleged Feud Behind ATP Finals Chaos?

Roger Federer's late withdrawal from the ATP World Tour Finals stunned fans and sparked rumors of a possible rift, per Mike Dickson at the Daily Mail, between himself and Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka.

Just an hour before he was scheduled to take the court against Novak Djokovic, Federer announced via Facebook that he could not play due to a back injury he sustained in his semifinals match against Wawrinka.

The walkover meant Djokovic would win his third consecutive ATP Finals title. However, Djokovic's title took a back-seat to rumors circulating about a late-night locker-room argument between Federer and Wawrinka. 

Apparently, Wawrinka and Federer's epic semis battle yielded some serious casualties. The severity of those casualties may surface soon. Wawrinka and Federer are reportedly due in Lille, France on Monday to prepare for the Davis Cup final. 

Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images

Instead of stories about what could be a historic Davis Cup win for Switzerland, Federer and Wawrinka must deal with headlines featuring words like feud, rift, row and war. 

The rumors brought a dark cloud over an already gloomy ATP Finals.

The finals arrived with excitement and anticipation. The No. 1 ranking was on the line. Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic provided new blood. Andy Murray had fought his way into the tournament. Djokovic was trying to win his third straight year-end title.

With so many tantalizing storylines, it seems downright bizarre that the tournament ended with Murray and Djokovic playing an exhibition match and tournament officials talking of issuing fans partial refunds. 

The field was already minus Rafael Nadal. Cilic seemed a shell of himself. Raonic withdrew. Most of the matches were blowouts. Then when it seemed fans would get a dream matchup....

What a mess.  

Federer's camp denied suggestions that he withdrew for any reason other than back problems.

Appearing in casual cloths, Federer personally addressed the London crowd. He explained to them how difficult it was for him to withdraw. Seemed like a classy gesture.

That was until Federer uncharacteristically refused to meet with the media. Instead, he met in private with an ATP journalist.

Speculation was already growing on Twitter when comments made by John McEnroe made matter worse. 

McEnroe's comments, which appeared in the Mirror, suggested that Wawrinka and Federer got into a long argument in the locker room.

"

 Afterwards something went on in the locker-room – there was a long talk between the players that extended well into the night...And the stress of that – I can’t confirm all of this – but a lot of this went on and I don’t think that helped the situation.

"

Even if rumors are untrue, the match certainly took a physical toll on the two. Wawrinka suffered through cramps. You could see them both grimacing late in the match. Wawrinka also squandered four match points in the third set. Yet he remained composed enough to reach a decisive tie-breaker. 

There was one sign of discord during the match. At one point, Wawrinka became annoyed with someone in the crowd and seemed to be looking at Federer's camp. 

The Daily Mail reported that court-side photographers claim Wawrinka had words with Federer's wife. He reportedly accused her of making sounds when he served. In the same Daily Mail account of the incident, a French reporter claims to have heard Wawrinka say something about her having done something similar during Wimbledon. 

Neither Federer nor Wawrinka have publicly addressed those claims. 

Meanwhile, they have a chance to bring Switzerland its first Davis Cup title. It's one of the few achievements to have eluded Federer. Despite the back injury, Federer told reporters he is "optimistic" about playing in Davis Cup.

He apologized to fans in London. In his comments, expressed in Tennis.com, Federer spoke of how he tried everything to avoid withdrawing from the tournament. 

"

I tried everything I could last night, also today: painkillers, treatment, rest, so forth, warm-up, until the very end. But I just can't compete at this level with Novak. It would be too risky at my age to do this right now and I hope you understand.

"

With the amount of goodwill Federer has stored up with fans, no doubt they will understand. As soon as he's back on the court all will be forgiven.

The bigger question is, if there is a rift and it cost Switzerland a chance at a historic Davis Cup title, will Federer and Wawrinka be able to forgive themselves?