Federer, Wawrinka miss Swiss trip

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka will be missing when Switzerland travels to the United States for the Davis Cup next month.

The Swiss tennis federation named a team on Thursday headed by Marco Chiudinelli, who is Federer’s childhood friend and ranked No 128.

The team to play on hard courts in Birmingham, Alabama, on Feb 3-5 also includes Henri Laaksonen (No 135), Adrien Bossel (No 489) and Antoine Bellier (No 611).

Neither Federer nor Wawrinka was expected to play away in the Davis Cup this season when Olympic eligibility is not a factor.

The Swiss team notes that the US can call on four players ranked from Nos 19-33, headed by John Isner.