ROME — Roger Federer has lost his opening match of the clay-court season, beaten by 40th-ranked Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 2-6, 6-1, 7-5. This was Federer's first singles match in nearly a month.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion had an easy first set Tuesday but his form then dropped drastically. The top-ranked Swiss struggled with his consistency under a light rain as the match wore on. Gulbis held on at the finish, winning on his seventh match point.

Federer took off several weeks after losing to Tomas Berdych in the fourth round in Key Biscayne, Fla., on March 30.

Federer played a rare doubles match Monday, teaming with Yves Allegro in a victory.