Roger Federer hints at skipping Australian Open to keep his Wimbledon and Olympic dream alive aged 39 amid injuries
ROGER FEDERER may skip the Australian Open so he doesn’t miss out on his Wimbledon and Olympics dream.
The Swiss superstar is recovering from knee surgery and has not played since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals in January.
The 39-year-old has yet to commit to the first Slam of the 2021 year, which has not nailed down its firm date in the calendar.
Anyone playing in Melbourne must observe a two-week Covid-19 quarantine period in a designated hotel.
However Federer wants to be fit for the return of Wimbledon in the summer – and he also has one eye on participating at the Tokyo Games.
He said: “I would love to be in Australia. But I’m very close with my knee.
“After the second operation I said to myself: ‘I want to take my time. I don’t want to take the next step until I’m ready.’
“These three weeks might help me a bit. The summer with Wimbledon, the Olympic Games and the US Open is my priority.”
Federer, who turns 40 in August, has won six singles titles Down Under, notably making a triumphant return in 2017 following surgery on his left knee.
He added: “I hope there is still something to see from me in the New Year. We will see.”
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Federer was pictured back on the practice court at the beginning of November.
And he also poo-pooed any retirement talk and said: “I’m definitely not retiring now.
“I am still fighting for my return, I want to be on the court, I would like to play with the legends of the game, with the best players.
“I feel that there is little left in me. I am doing well, it is a long process – not daily, but weekly.”