'Roger Federer's so natural that he can come out and play shots, but...', says legend

Roger Federer will not participate in the 2021 Australian Open, his agent confirmed today. The Swiss champion is still struggling with problems in his right knee, operated on twice in recent times. Tony Godsick, Federer's longtime representative and CEO of their company, TEAM8, said they are still deciding what the 2021 calendar appointments the former number 1 will take part in. The idea is to return soon after Melbourne , perhaps for North American concrete. “Roger has decided not to play in the Australian Open. He has made great progress in the past couple of months with his knee and his fitness is growing. However, after consulting with his team, he decided to take some more time to recover," Godsick told The Associated Press. Roger Federer is trying to recover his best form through intense training in Dubai. The decision to postpone the return was made in agreement with his coaches Severin Luthi and Ivan Ljubicic, in addition to the athletic trainer Pierre Paganini. The Basel phenomenon has not played an official match since last January, when he was eliminated in Melbourne by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Todd Woodbridge, one half of the legendary Woodies duo from Australia, won 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles in his career. Now one of the top TV analysts in the game, Woodbridge recently gave his thoughts on Roger Federer's potential future.

Woodbridge reflects on Roger Federer's future

Like the rest of the tennis world, Todd Woodbridge is also uncertain about how the Roger Federer comeback will play out in 2021. The Aussie opined that a lot would depend on how the tennis calendar shapes up next year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "At this point it's too hard to say," Woodbridge said. "It all rests on how the COVID schedule plays out. His goals, I assume, would be to play at the Olympics and at Wimbledon. Wimbledon is the Major that I see him being able to win at this stage of his career. But if Roger Federer misses too much matchplay, it's very hard to see him being able to go all the way at a Slam. That's the biggest challenge," the Aussie went on. "It won't be the first match or two, he's so natural that he can come out and play shots and play well. It's all about the recovery. After he's played two tough matches, can he back up for a third? How will the body feel? Will the legs be tired? They're all the things you find at that age."

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