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The Australian Open planned for January will be postponed by a few weeks and will start on February 8th. Tournament director Craig Tiley reveals that he has also received a commitment from Roger Federer.
“If that was it, who knows, then it would be an unbelievable conclusion” – with these words Roger Federer put Swiss sports fans into shock a week ago. Does the fabulous career of the greatest tennis player of all time come to an end during the Corona period? Doesn’t he even get the chance to say goodbye to all his fans around the world on a farewell tour?
“I hope there is still something of me to see in the new year,” says Federer at the “Sports Awards”, where he was named the best Swiss athlete of the last 70 years. Well, it looks like there is still something to see from the 20-time Grand Slam winner in 2021. At the first highlight of the year, at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
At least that is what Craig Tiley, the tournament director of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, announced at the weekend: “We have all the players who have promised to be in Australia. Of course, anything can happen to the list of participants at the beginning of the season, but everyone has agreed, including Roger. “
The knee was causing more problems than expected
A week ago, Federer announced that he was not as far as he had wished after having had two operations on his right knee. «I was hoping that I would be at 100 percent by October, but unfortunately I wasn’t – and still am not today. It will be close with the Australian Open. ” He wants to take the necessary time and only take the next step when he is ready. A comeback in January would probably have come too soon.
Tiley now says he made contact with Schweizer. “He told us that February 8th would be a more suitable date for him for the Australian Open,” said the tournament director. “But a lot will depend on how he reacts to his operation in the next two to three weeks.” Federer has been working on his return for months and is now preparing for the new season in Dubai.
So the chances are good that Federer can tackle the tournament in Melbourne on February 8th. There, where he was able to take his 20th and so far last major title in 2018. Where he played his last game on the ATP tour a year ago – the semi-final against Novak Djokovic.
But it should also be clear that Federer would forego a start at the Aussie Open if he had the slightest doubt. Because summer has a clear priority for him, as he recently announced: Wimbledon, the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the US Open in New York are the big goals of the season. “Whether I come back in two months or in six months makes no difference to me,” said Federer at the “Sports Awards”. “It would just be nice if I could return to the field one more time.”
