( CNN ) -- Roger Federer 's first appearance in Gstaad for nine years lasted just over an hour as the former World No.1 made an untimely exit to Germany 's Daniel Brands . Still experimenting with a larger racquet head , the Swiss maestro was always struggling against an opponent he beat in an ATP tournament in Hamburg last week , going down 6-3 6-4 in 66 minutes . The defeat continues a sorry run for the 17-time grand slam champion , losing in the second round of his Wimbledon title defense and then falling at the semifinal stage in Germany on his return to action . After his defeat , Federer said he had been suffering with back problems , but had decided to press ahead with his return to the Swiss venue . `` I only decided after today 's warm-up whether I would play or not , '' he told the official ATP Tour website . `` I 'm happy that I was able to play because I 've had problems for some time now , already in Hamburg . `` But it did n't get worse during today 's match . I 'm positive and I felt that it was getting better during the last few days . '' Brands , ranked 55th in the world , was always on top , serving decisively with 11 aces and achieving a single break against the favorite in each set . The 31-year-old Federer could take none of his five break point opportunities to leave the home crowd at the clay court tournament disappointed . He famously was presented with cow when he played in Gstaad in 2003 after claiming his first Wimbledon crown and won the event on his last appearance in 2004 . Federer 's only tournament title in 2013 came on his favorite grass at Halle , but his Wimbledon challenge was cruelly ended by Ukraine 's world number 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky on the first Wednesday . It ended the record 36 consecutive grand slam quarterfinal appearances for the Swiss , amid talk his powers were waning . Former champion Marcel Granollers of Spain ended the run of Federico Delbonis with a 6-2 7-5 victory to reach the quarterfinals . Argentina 's Delbonis , who shocked Federer in the semifinals in Hamburg , also put out defending Gstaad champion Thomas Bellucci in the first round , but could find no answer against Granollers . He will play Dutchman Robin Haase , who saw off third seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in straight sets , while Brands will take on Victor Hanescu of Romania . Hanescu benefited from the second set retirement of Roberto Bautista Agut in their second round match . Meanwhile , Serbian Davis Cup star Victor Troicki has been handed an 18-month ban for a doping offense , the International Tennis Federation announced Thursday . Former World No.12 Troicki failed to provide a blood sample at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this year . The 27-year-old will be banned until January 24 , 2015 . Troicki gave a urine sample after his match , but claimed that he had been assured by the doping control officer ( DCO ) at the tournament that he could skip the blood sample because he had been feeling unwell . `` The tribunal concluded that the DCO told Mr Troicki that she could not advise him as to whether his reason for not providing a blood sample was valid , and that no such assurances were given by her , '' read an official statement on the ITF website . Troicki 's finest hour came in 2010 when he won the decisive final rubber for Serbia in the Davis Cup against France , but he has slipped to outside the top 50 of the current rankings .
Roger Federer pulled out of ATP tournament in Miami . Top seed defeated 6 - 3 6 - 4 by Daniel Brands of Germany . Former No.1 Federer lost in second round of title defense at Wimbledon . Revealed he has been suffering with back problems .