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Doha (AFP)
Roger Federer withdrew from next week’s Dubai ATP tournament on Thursday, claiming “it is better to get back in training” as his 13-month comeback on the sidelines ended after two matches at the Qatar Open.
The 39-year-old was eliminated from the Doha event by world number 42 Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia, wasting a match point in the deciding set.
“It’s been great to be back at @atptour, I loved every minute of playing Doha once again,” tweeted the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles.
“A big thank you to the best and loyal team that helped me get here. I decided it is best to go back to training and as a result I decided to withdraw from Dubai next week.”
Federer underwent two knee surgeries last year and was playing his first tournament since the semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January 2020.
He had needed three sets to beat Briton Dan Evans in his opener in Qatar on Wednesday.
Federer has already said that he will skip the season-opening Masters event in Miami later this month.
That would likely mean the Swiss veteran will return to play on the European clay court that begins in April.
Earlier Thursday, Federer’s longtime rival Rafael Nadal, also a 20-majors starter, said he had turned down a wild-card invitation to the Dubai event while recovering from a back injury.
© 2021 AFP
