Roger Federer has confirmed that he will not play at the Dubai Tennis Championships after making his comeback to the Tour this week.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to action on Wednesday at the Qatar Open in what was his first match for 13 months after being sidelined by a right knee injury which required two surgical procedures. He started the tournament in winning fashion with a three-sets triumph over Dans Evans. However, his momentum came to a halt 24 hours later when he lost 3-6, 6-1, 7-5, to world number 42 Nikoloz Basilashvili who he had a match point against.
Just a few hours after his loss to Basilashvili Federer confirmed on social media that he plans to return to training over the coming weeks instead of playing any tournaments. Besides Dubai, he has already pulled out of the Miami Open to focus on his fitness following his lengthy time away from the sport.
“It’s been great to be back on the @atptour, loved every minute playing in Doha once again,” the Swiss Maestro tweeted.
“A big thank you to the best and loyal team that helped me get here. I’ve decided it’s best to go back to training and as a result, I’ve decided to withdraw from Dubai next week.”
The 39-year-old is set to return to action during the clay swing on the Tour in what will be a stern test of his knee due to the nature of the surface. Although it is unclear as to what tournaments he will play in. Besides the French Open, there are also Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome which are held on the clay.
“What comes before the grass courts are the clay courts,” he said. “So I have no choice but to play on clay if I want to play matches.
“The clay could be good or bad for me. I will only know in practice, but I don’t think it’s going to be bad. I assume I will play some clay.”
So far in his career Federer has won 11 ATP titles on the clay with the most recent of those occurring at the 2015 Istanbul Open. He has only won the French Open once before which was more than a decade ago back in 2009.
In the long-term Federer’s ultimate aim is to peak in time for his beloved Wimbledon, where he will be seeking a historic ninth trophy.
“Everything is geared towards the grass. So whatever makes me be 100 per cent there, I will do,” he stated.
Federer is currently ranked sixth in the world.
