'It's impossible to predict' - Rome Open unsure about Federer's appearance
There is a Fabio Fognini effect on the Rome Open pre-tickets sale. Compared to 2018, a +11 percent increase was set, as announcement by the Italy's Tennis Federations chief Angelo Binaghi. Roger Federer's appearance in the Italian tournament is uncertain. "We will have to wait how he does in Madrid", said Binaghi. "But I am more focused on the many tickets we have sold. Playing three consecutive tournaments on clay at his age is complicated. But I think it also depends on his results in Madrid."
The tournament director Sergio Palmieri said: "Federer is entered to play, which is different from the last two years when he withdrew ahead of time. So the fact that he's entered means it's possible for him to play. It's impossible to predict, though. Knowing him, it's more probable that he'll come only if he's playing well." If the Swiss goes far in Spain, then he will not play in Rome. Fognini won his maiden Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo last month and he has not played a match since then, withdrawing from Barcelona and Estoril in order to be fully fit for Madrid and Rome tournaments. The Italian has already reached the Madrid city.
Just Fognini, Marco Cecchinato and Camila Giorgi are the players who directly join the main draw so far, but Andreas Seppi (who has high chances to reach the main draw without an invitation, though), Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Sonego, plus Sara Errani and the two former top 20 players promoted by WTA, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka, got a wild card. The other ones will be awarded from the pre-qualifying draw, which featured more than 20,000 people.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2VmTyIY
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