Last night, Roger Federer announced that, after consulting with his team, he would not contest the Dubai tournament and would instead undergo a training block of several weeks to continue progressing on his return to the slopes. They probably realized that the return was too early or that there were parts of his body that needed more specific work. If I would not dispute Dubai and neither would the Miami Open (it was downloaded a week ago), it was considered what the next Swiss tournaments could be, always trying to reach 100% for the grass tour.
Yesterday he confirmed it. His idea is to arrive the best prepared for Halle and Wimbledon (Stuttgart will not play it) and that happens by playing several tournaments in the previous weeks. Therefore, bearing in mind that the clay court tour precedes the grass tour, Roger will have no choice but to choose a clay tournament to grab minutes. The main question is: how many and which tournaments will Federer play.
Possible ground tournaments that Roger Federer would play in
He said at a press conference that he had not yet sat down with his team to see which tournaments he would play on brick dust. That he had some idea, but everything to decide. Those that are more likely would be the following:
- Monte Carlo Masters 1000: April 11-18
Just in a month. The Swiss commented yesterday that the training block that he will carry out from now on will consist of 2-3 weeks, the time necessary to get to a tournament on time that despite being a category ATP Masters 1000 is not mandatory, so many Top 30 players do not usually attend and their draw is not usually loaded with strong opponents. He played four finals there, he always did quite well (he even reached the quarterfinals in 2016, when his knee was at its worst) and is sponsored by Rolex, one of its main sponsors.
- Mutua Madrid Open: From April 30 to May 9
Between one and the other there are several weeks off, so it would be a very good schedule for him, so as not to overload himself too much. Madrid has always been a stop on Federer’s path within the clay tour due to its special conditions. When played at height, the ball flies faster and is usually very comfortable playing there. It was the tournament of his choice in 2019 when he was looking to gain rhythm for the grass tour and reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Thiem, with whom he had match points to eliminate him.
Other possible options
It is practically impossible, except for a very big surprise, for Roger to go to Roland Garros. Playing the best of five sets on clay is not in his plans. Most likely, you choose those weeks to continue doing specific training, already on grass. As Madrid would finish more than a month before the start of the grass tour, perhaps choose to play the odd tournament, being Roma (from May 9 to 16) and Geneva (from May 16 to 22) those with the greatest options. Especially the second, since it would be played next to his house. Nor is it ruled out Estoril, the week before the Madrid tournament. A tournament that could have a lighter frame for him.
Of all the tournaments mentioned above, Roger Federer will most likely choose to play two or three of them, always depending on how he is doing. What is clear is that we will have to wait a few more weeks to see him on the slopes again, but let no one be scared, the Swiss left Doha happy yesterday and it is that despite those shoulder discomfort (understandable, after of 13 months of inactivity), the rest of his body responded with note.
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