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Roger Federer cancels the Australian Open because he apparently still doesn’t trust himself to play the title. Perhaps in a few months this will turn out to be a wise decision.
Craig Tiley, tournament director for the Australian Open, let tennis fans breathe a sigh of relief a week ago. “All the players have agreed, including Roger,” Tiley said, unofficially announcing Federer’s return in February. Now everything is different. As you can read on the teacher’s website, the 39-year-old does not start in Melbourne.
“Roger has decided not to play the Australian Open in 2021. He has made great strides in his knee and his physical condition in recent months,” Federer’s manager Tony Godsick was quoted as saying. In the long run, it is “the best decision for him to return to the circuit after the Australian Open.”
At first glance, this withdrawal comes as a shock to all Federer fans. Will he be able to compete again for the big titles? Or do you have to accept the fact that perhaps the greatest tennis player of all time is now very close to the end of his career?
The plan is clear: the Olympics and Wimbledon take priority
Of course, one can only speculate about the future. But the pass doesn’t have to mean something bad. Federer announced two weeks ago that he was not as far away as he would have liked after having two operations on his right knee. “I was hoping to be 100 percent in October, but unfortunately I wasn’t, and I still am not today. It will be close with the Australian Open. ”
You want to take your time and only take the next step when you’re ready. With these statements, Federer already indicated that if he had the slightest doubt, he would renounce a title at the Aussie Open. Because summer has a clear priority for him, as he recently highlighted: Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open in New York are the big goals of the season. “Whether he comes back in two months or six months, I don’t care,” Federer said at the “Sports Awards” in mid-December.
In the long run, it may be an advantage that Federer can skip the Aussie Open. Rather than immediately contesting a grueling Grand Slam tournament with five-set matches, you can tackle the day-to-day life of the tournament again through smaller tournaments. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, will not take place until the end of May.
Federer doesn’t want to rush anything
Your knee won’t be too bad anyway. Otherwise, Godsick wouldn’t say he’s already starting talks this week for tournaments that start in late February and then set a schedule for the rest of the year.
Anyone who has been following Federer’s career for some time knows: the master only takes part in a tournament if he is convinced that he can win it. He doesn’t seem to have that feeling for the Australian Open. Federer doesn’t seem to have the confidence to start from 0-100 again. After all, it’s been a year since his last match on the ATP Tour.
The match practice is missing. The search for confidence, both in the knee and in one’s abilities, is complicated. Especially when most of the competition has returned to playing tournaments since September and no longer needs start time. Federer wants to avoid a hasty return and get back in top shape step by step. It may well bear fruit in summer.
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