October 10, 2019. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP)
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will
miss the Australian Open for the first time in his career as he
continues his recovery from two rounds of knee surgery, organisers
said Monday.
The 39-year-old Swiss has been out of action since February but
recently resumed training and was on the entry list for year’s
opening Grand Slam, which will make a delayed start on February
8.
Federer, a huge favourite with the Melbourne crowds, hasn’t
missed the Australian Open since his debut in 2000, winning the
trophy six times.
“In the end Roger ran out of time to get himself ready for the
rigours of a Grand Slam and he’s very disappointed he won’t be
coming to Melbourne in 2021,” said tournament chief Craig
Tiley.
“We wish him all the best as he prepares for his comeback later
in the year and look forward to seeing him in Melbourne in
2022.”
Federer sat out most of the Covid-disrupted 2020 season after
losing to Novak Djokovic in the Melbourne semis in January, his
last competitive match.
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He underwent keyhole surgery on his right knee in February,
before needing a follow-up operation and calling off his season to
recover.
The Swiss could only watch as Rafael Nadal matched his all-time
men’s record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles with a 13th victory at
the French Open.
Federer will now concentrate on getting himself ready for the
rest of the 2021 season, which includes the Tokyo Olympics and the
chance of his first singles gold medal.
“He has made strong progress in the last couple of months with
his knee and his fitness,” his agent Tony Godsick said in a
statement.
“I will start discussions this coming week for tournaments that
beg in in late February and then start to build a schedule for the
rest of the year,” Godsick added.
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– Murray wildcard –
Federer’s absence will be felt at the Australian Open, despite a
top-quality field led by world number ones Djokovic and Ashleigh
Barty.
US superstar Serena Williams, Federer’s contemporary at 39, is
also on the entry list as she again attempts to equal Margaret
Court’s record of 24-time Grand Slam singles titles.
Federer’s withdrawal comes as former world number one Andy
Murray, a five-time Australian Open finalist, was given a wildcard
entry.
Tiley welcomed the 33-year-old back to the tournament, two years
after his first-round exit prompted fears his career was at an
end.
“Seeing him come back, having undergone major surgery and built
himself back up to get onto the tour again, will be a highlight,”
Tiley said.
The opening Slam of the year, which will be played in front of
at least 50 percent of normal crowds, has been pushed back three
weeks to February 8 over difficulties caused by the
coronavirus.
All players must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on
arrival, during which they will constantly be tested for Covid-19
but allowed to train for five hours a day in a bio-secure
bubble.
The men’s and women’s qualifiers will be held in Doha and Dubai
respectively from January 10-13, with players arriving in Melbourne
from January 15 on special charter flights.
Melbourne only emerged from a months-long lockdown in October
following a second wave of Covid-19, complicating planning for the
Grand Slam and how to allow so many players and support staff to
enter the country safely.
Australia has largely contained the coronavirus, although a new
outbreak in Sydney has sparked fresh restrictions in parts of the
city and even state border closures.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/12/28/federer-out-of-australian-open-after-knee-surgery/