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Roger Federer may decide to skip Australian Open due to restrictions, says compatriot


Roger Federer may decide to delay his return until after the Australian Open, says compatriot Marc Rosset.

Rosset, who is a former top ten player and Olympic gold medallist for Switzerland, believes the strict restrictions on the amount of people he can travel with.

And that, says Rosset, is likely to provide serious problems for Federer in terms of his family life.

“Roger Federer never divides family life and tennis,” Rosset told Radio Tele Suisse. “It is a whole. He will not choose one or the other.

“He would [have to] play a very tough tournament, with an uncertain form, without the thrill of those emotions that only the public can give, and all without the family at his side.

“Frankly, when you see the constraints imposed on the players, the fact that there shouldn’t be many spectators, and your conditions aren’t yet optimal, you wonder if it is worth taking the risks by going there.

“At 39, he may have something else to do than go to Melbourne in such conditions in two months, maybe stay at home and prepare even better.


Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.