'Roger Federer was looking ahead', says his coach

Alexander Zverev's 2020 was anything but a walk. Excluding the limitations due to the Coronavirus with regard to the tennis part, the German tennis player lived on a roller coaster: the unexpected fatherhood unveiled by a former, lawsuits, Philipp Plein's party without distancing, the accusations of domestic violence from an old woman flame and also the first Grand Slam final (lost). Several shadows and many lights in the past year for 'Sascha' who had decided to leave former manager Patricio Apey to rely on Roger Federer's 'Team8'. After a year of collaboration, however, the sudden break, probably due to a set of factors that weighed on the decision of both parties. Zverev explained on social media: “I experienced a very intense 2020, with the first Grand Slam final without my family being able to attend due to Covid. After all that has passed, I need to look to the future with serenity, and for this reason I decided to rely on my father for the technical part and my brother Mischa together with Sergei Bubka for the management." Speaking to Smash Magazine, top coach Severin Luthi revealed that in a career spanning over two decades, the Swiss has never complained nor wished for a break from tennis.

Roger Federer looks to make a big comeback

"My feeling is absolutely that this (early retirement) won‘t be the case at all," Severin Luthi said. "Roger Federer still loves the life on the tour a lot. Nearly every player says at some point that he needs to go home as he would need a break. I haven't heard this once from him in all the years. He makes it pleasant for himself on the tour, he knows many people, has friends everywhere. But of course you can‘t rule it out 100%." Federer has hopes of a similar recovery this time as well, and is already looking forward to making a big comeback in 2021. "From Day 1, when he decided to cancel the season, he was looking ahead," Luthi said. "He directly switched, there weren't any doubts. You immediately felt the joy that he can now spend more time with the family and the other positive aspects." The Australian Open 2021 is just three weeks away and its craze has been reaching a fever pitch. Fans are eagerly waiting for their superstars to return to the court as soon as possible, having had to make do without tennis for most of 2020. The tournament will take place from February 8, 2021, to February 21, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. Although Roger Federer has withdrawn from the tournament, there are several other key players who will attract the attention of fans. Defending champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will be starting as the top two seeds. US Open 2020 winner Dominic Thiem, the in-form Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be other players to watch out for at the Grand Slam.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3bW8STX