'There was no way Roger Federer could win matches...', says legend

Six-time champion Roger Federer has retired from the Australian Open as he continues to return to wellness after two knee activities recently, his rep said. The 39-year-old Swiss player last played a serious match at the season opener Grand Slam in January before undergoing a medical knee procedure. He later requested a subsequent activity. The start of the 2021 Australian Open has been postponed for three weeks until February 8 due to the nation's strict suburban rules to control the spread of the Covid novel. Federer, who was preparing in his base period of the year in Dubai, advised the coordinators that the deferred start of the competition could benefit. Either way, his rep Tony Godsick said Federer wasn't exactly ready to return. "Roger chose not to play the 2021 Australian Open," Godsick said in a statement. “He has been gaining ground in the last few months with his knee and wellness. "However, after an interview with his group, he concluded that the best choice for him in the long run is to revisit serious tennis after the Australian Open." Godsick added that he hoped to build a game schedule for Federer by the end of February. Australian Open competition boss Craig Tiley said he was baffled to lose Federer for the following year's occasion. Six-time Grand Slam winner and former coach of Roger Federer, Stefan Edberg, recently claimed that the Swiss legend is always looking for ways to improve his game. Edberg believes Federer will follow the same approach as he prepares for his latest comeback in 2021.

Edberg on working with Roger Federer

Stefan Edberg went on to reveal that Roger Federer is a very quick learner. He observed that the Swiss always kept an open mind, which helped him develop a more attacking and offensive game as he got older. "Teaching Roger Federer is not a difficult thing, he is a very good listener. He knows what to do and he learns very quickly. So that's a good start. Obviously, he needed to change his game as there was no way he could win matches form the baseline. As you get older, it gets harder," Edberg stated. "2013 was a tough year for Roger Federer," Edberg said. "He had back problems, maybe he had lost his way a little bit and maybe needed some inspiration. Maybe he had some thought about how he can develop his game. At the same time, he made a decision to switch rackets, which was very very important I think. That's when I came into the picture in 2014. Obviously, I had thought about how he could become a better player. I think he had in his own mind what he wanted to do. And that's how we got started - taking it on a day-to-day basis. I've been in the same situation as him. We had a a talk and we wanted to make some changes to his game and we did over the time," he added.

 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38UwQwU