Is Aussie withdrawal the beginning of the end for legend Federer?
The Swiss master will have been out of action for a year after his Aussie Open withdrawal. So, is it…
ROGER FEDERER has participated in the last 22 Australian Opens, so his absence from February’s rescheduled edition will perturb his global legion of fans.
The 39-year- old Swiss has withdrawn, citing the continuing wait to fully recover from knee surgeries. By the end of next month, he will not have played for a whole year.
His agent Tony Godsick issued a statement late on Sunday night backtracking on Federer’s previously confirmed entry.
Describing his client as having made ‘strong progress’ with his fitness after training in Dubai, the decision was made to abort the trip, pledging to ‘start to build a schedule for the rest of the year’ from late February.
According to one wellplaced source, Federer is in good physical shape, but an additional deterrent to travelling is the Covid-19 measures being imposed.
He would usually embark on a trip Down Under with wife Mirka and two sets of twins, now aged six and 11, as well as his support staff.
This time, even ex-champions are restricted to an allowance of two fellow travellers, although there may be some leeway to slightly increase numbers.
A ceiling of 1,000 arrivals in total has been set by local health authorities. All of them must undergo two weeks of quarantine in which they will only be allowed out of their rooms for five strictly controlled hours a day.
Federer’s direct contemporary and fellow superstar Serena Williams appears to be fine with this, although the restrictions state that children aged three and under are exempt, which covers her daughter Olympia.
The Australian Open will not be the last tournament operating under straitened conditions, but regardless, the Swiss is apparently intent on picking up when the reshaped calendar emerges for late February and beyond. This will bring sighs of relief to tournaments hoping to attract t he player who remains the sport’s No 1 drawcard, even with fading powers.
In this festive period it is apt to describe Federer as evergreen but the slow recovery of his right knee suggests time is finally catching up with someone who turns 40 in August.
When he had an arthroscopy on his knee last February, he pledged to be back by what turned out to be a non-existent grass swing.
Then in July he announced the shutting down of his season due to a second minor operation. Now the date has been pushed back again.
So while the rest of the tennis world are herded on to socially distanced f l i ghts southwards, to arrive Down Under on the two allotted days in mid- January, Federer will be shaping his plans.
Four key dates are likely to stand out for him as he plots his way forward.
The f i rst i s Wimbledon, where he will be desperate to play once again and which, with a following wind, he could still win with full health and preparation.
Shortly afterwards will be the Olympics, a singles gold medal being the one thing in tennis that has eluded him. There is also his enormous clothing deal with J a panese manufacturer Uniqlo to consider.
Also looming large will be the Laver Cup in September, the team event which is his part brainchild and promoted by his management group.
Due to be staged in Boston, it was one of many events to perish in 2020 and has been put back a year.
There are some who believe he may continue to feature in this even after retirement from the tour. Unlike the vast majority of players, a lucrative after-career playing exhibitions beckons, such is his pulling power.