Federer to miss Miami Open

Sports Desk, Mar 2 (efe-epa).- Swiss star Roger Federer will not defend his title at the Miami Open scheduled for later this month, the organizers announced Tuesday.

“You will be missed this year, Roger. We’ll see you in 2022!” the Miami Open organizers announced on the Twitter account of the tournament, to be held between 22 March and 4 April.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion won the 2019 Miami Open title when he defeated US’ John Isner. This was the last edition held as the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus.

At the Qatar Open which kicks off on 8 March, the 39-year-old will make his first appearance since losing to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals. His next stop will be Dubai Tennis Championships as he spends the European winter in Dubai.

But it appears the more prestigious Miami Open will be one competition too many for Federer, who has struggled with right knee issues that forced him to go under the knife in 2020. He was planning to compete at the 2021 Australian Open, but he eventually withdrew, postponing his comeback for a few more weeks.

The Miami Open entry list includes Djokovic and Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the men’s competition, and Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who won the 2021 Australian Open title, and US’ Serena Williams. EFE-EPA

mlm/ta/ks