Federer not ready for Aussie Open

MELBOURNE • Six-time champion Roger Federer will miss the Australian Open for the first time in his career but he is expected to make his comeback in late February.

The record 20-time Grand Slam winner has not played since losing to eventual champion and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in January.

Two knee operations put paid to his season and although the Australian Open has been delayed by three weeks to Feb 8 due to the country's strict border rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the hard-court Major has still come too soon as he continues to work his way back to fitness.

Federer, who is training at his off-season base in Dubai, had told the organisers earlier this month that the delayed start could benefit him, with tournament organiser Craig Tiley saying he had "made a commitment to travel to Melbourne to play".

However, his agent Tony Godsick yesterday said the Swiss was not quite ready to return.

"Roger has decided not to play the 2021 Australian Open," he said in a statement. "He has made strong progress in the last couple of months with his knee and his fitness.

"However, after consultation with his team, he decided that the best decision for him in the long run is to return to competitive tennis after the Australian Open."

Godsick added that he was looking to build a playing calendar for Federer and "start discussions this coming week for tournaments that begin in late February".

But it remains unclear what may be the first event in over a year for Federer, as the ATP Tour has only released the calendar for the first seven weeks of the 2021 season owing to the unpredictability of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 39-year-old will hope to be fully fit by then as he will have only five months to prepare for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

Federer told reporters earlier this month an Olympic singles gold medal - the only prize missing from his trophy cabinet - was the "big one" and his "big plan" was to confirm his attendance in Japan.

On the absence of one of the sport's biggest draws and a perennial crowd favourite, Tiley said the organisers understood the reasoning behind his withdrawal and hoped he could return to Melbourne in 2022.

"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," he added.

"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 has been an ever-present at the Australian Open since his first appearance when he lost in qualifying in 1999.

He has made 15 trips to the semi-finals and won the last of his six Melbourne titles in 2018.

The year's first Slam will be played in front of at least 50 per cent of normal crowds, though the attendance will be largely local.

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.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS