When reviewing the successful career of an athlete, the first thing that comes to mind is talent. What Roger Federer has to spare. But the most important details, the ones that count, are often hidden. Because at 39, after two knee operations, the easiest thing for him would be to seclude himself in the comfort that his family can offer him in Zurich. But that was not the choice.
The former world No. 1 has no interest in the end of his fantastic career being just a stroll through the ATP Tour, seeking farewell tributes. After a year of no activity, he doesn’t just want to play again. He wants to win. You need to be competitive because your nature demands it. That is why he achieved so much, why this final effort is not surprising to try to get in shape for the Australian Open, to be played in February 2021.
In the final stretch of his recovery after surgery, he chose to stay as he usually does at this stage in his winter home in Dubai along with his team of trainers and physical trainers. “We are preparing as always, as if it were a normal year of competition,” said his coach, Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, in statements to Gulf News, which provided some details on planning.
There are still not many certainties about the tournaments he will play. Fundamentally because the circuit does not have them either, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. “It is difficult to think about how the year will develop without fixed points on the calendar. But we are moving forward,” added Ljubicic. And he recognized that the greatest attention at this stage is focused on arriving well at the contest that Federer is most interested in: “It is obvious that Wimbledon is always the main objective for Roger.”
Although nothing is confirmed, the director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, was excited about the return of the Swiss in Melbourne. “All the best tennis players in the world, including Roger Federer, they have promised to come“Although later, naturally, put some caution to your ad: “We contacted Roger and his team, just three days ago. He has done his first rallies in Dubai and his usual preseason preparation. It will depend on how your knee feels“.
The change in schedule, naturally, helped Federer’s chances of arriving in time for the first Grand Slam of 2021. Australia’s qualification will take place in Doha on January 10-13. Players will then have to travel on assigned dates between January 15 and January 31, to fulfill a quarantine period. Finally, the tournament will be played between February 8 and 21.
Roger Federer’s last match was on January 30 this year, when he lost to Serbian Novak Djokovic, precisely in one of the semifinals of the Australian tournament.
“It is a race against time. It is clear that it would help if I had a little more time,” Federer had explained at an awards ceremony in his country.
Agencia AFP
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