London: Twenty-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer won’t be taking part in the Australian Open this year as he still needs to recover from two rounds of knee surgery, the organisers revealed on Monday.
The 39-year-old legend has been out of action since February and this is the first time in his career since 2000 that he will be missing the first Grand Slam of the year.
Federer recently resumed training and was drafted in the entry list of Australian Open, which will start on February 8. The Swiss star won the Grand Slam six times.
“In the end Roger ran out of time to get himself ready for the rigours of a Grand Slam and he’s very disappointed he won’t be coming to Melbourne in 2021,” tournament chief Craig Tiley said.
“We wish him all the best as he prepares for his comeback later in the year and look forward to seeing him in Melbourne in 2022,” Tiley added.