[ad_1]
Ashley Vlotman / Getty Images
Roger Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, will not play at the Australian Open due to a knee injury.
Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Australian Open.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion continues to prepare to return to action after two operations on his right knee and an absence from the tour that will have lasted more than a year, his agent told The Associated Press.
Tony Godsick, Federer’s longtime representative and CEO of his management company, TEAM8, said he was working to put together a 2021 tennis schedule for Federer, who plans to return to tour shortly after the first major tennis tournament of the year.
The 39-year-old Federer’s decision not to play at Melbourne Park means his streak of 21 consecutive appearances, a streak that began with his 2000 debut there and includes six championships, would come to an end.
READ MORE:
* The great tennis player Roger Federer will not return to the court until 2021 after a second knee surgery.
* How Roger Federer plans to rule beyond the court after his career ends
* Mark Reason: Roger Federer is abusing his power to win extra majors
“Roger has decided not to play the 2021 Australian Open,” Godsick said in a statement sent to the AP.
“He has come a long way in recent months with his knee and his fitness. However, after consulting 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.
“ I will start discussions next week for tournaments that start in late February and then I will start building a schedule for the rest of the year. ”
The start of the Australian Open main draw was delayed for three weeks due to Covid-19 and is now scheduled to start on February 8.
Morgan Hancock / Getty Images
Roger Federer’s return to the Australian Open in 2021 was always in doubt after a couple of knee surgeries.
Federer has not played a tournament match since late January at the 2020 Australian Open, where he was clearly injured losing in straight sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Soon after, Federer took part in a charity exhibition event with Rafael Nadal in front of a record tennis crowd of over 50,000 at a soccer stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.
Just a few weeks later, Federer announced that he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and would be out of the game for at least four months. He later underwent a second procedure on that knee and ended up missing the rest of the pandemic-altered season.
