I have just received the news that Roger Federer returns to the tour in Doha on March 8th. Great news for Federer fans.
Tennis has started with a bang “down under” with lots of tennis going on at the moment such as the Great Ocean Road Open, Murray River Open, and ATP Cup on the men’s tour. Federer opted out of the Australian Open due to knee concerns, but it was rumored that the quarantine was the real reason for his withdrawal. It seems like his knee and general physical health is in a good place as Federer returns to the tour already on March 8th.
With pretty much all top players in action in Australia at the moment, but Federer fans are surely missing their hero. This piece of good news must be a big deal! When Federer gets back in action, the Tour is pretty much complete and hopefully, we can get something close to a normal tennis season.
How will Federer perform?
There are many question marks around how players will perform after quarantines and a long time off from the game. Nick Kyrgios looked pretty rusty after a whole year with no tennis but managed to scrape by against a player ranked in the 200s. Federer hasn’t played any competitive tennis for a whole year so I think we can expect to see some rust. But then again, he has come back from a long injury time-out before and played some of his best tennis (remember 2017?). His aggressive game centered around his unpredictable serve makes it easier for him to get back to form as he wins more free points and doesn’t have to put as much strain on his body like for example Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
What do you think of Federer’s return to the game? Will he come out all guns blazing or can we expect a slow start?
