Roger Federer trains on clay ahead of Geneva Open

After keeping his schedule under the surface following the quarter-final Doha loss, Roger Federer decided to compete on clay this spring, entering the home ATP 250 Geneva Open in two weeks. Staged at the Tennis Club de Genève at Parc des Eaux-Vives, the oldest and largest tennis club in Switzerland, the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open returned to the ATP calendar in 2015 after closing its gates for the professional players in 1991. The Geneva Open had to be canceled in 2020, like the entire European spring clay swing due to the pandemic, returning after the Masters 1000 event in Rome May 16-22. Initially, Geneva was supposed to go on right before Roland Garros, which would make it harder for the top-ranked players to enter and risk anything ahead of the season's second Major. When the Roland Garros organizers moved their event for one week, they left enough time for those who play in Geneva to recover physically.

Roger Federer is practicing on clay for the upcoming tounaments in Geneva and Paris.

Under new circumstances, the Geneva Open organizers hoped to draw some big names for the sixth edition, doing their best to sign Roger Federer. Struggling with a knee injury, Federer underwent two surgeries in 2020, skipping the entire season after the Australian Open and making a long-awaited return this March in Doha after 13 months. Roger played two matches and decided to rest and skip Dubai and Miami, staying at home and sharing no news about the clay swing. Recently, Federer confirmed he would compete in Geneva, hoping to continue where he left in 2019 when he claimed the Laver Cup with Team Europe in one of his favorite cities.

Staying away from clay for a couple of years after Rome 2016, Roger returned to the slowest surface in 2019 and competed in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. The Swiss played on a high level in Paris and beat five opponents to reach the semis, where Rafael Nadal beat him in straight sets. On Thursday, Federer shared a video of his practice session on clay, hitting one-handed backhands and looking sharp and eager to chase a notable result at the home event. After Geneva, Roger will play Roland Garros, Halle and Wimbledon, hoping to raise his level by his beloved grass season and seek the ninth Wimbledon crown.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3b2dWF9