Daily Times

LONDON: Roger Federer has given up on the 2021 Australian Open because his priority now is family: “I am 39, four children, I have won 20 Grand Slam tournaments. For me it is no longer time to be away from my family for more than five weeks”, this was the explanation given by Roger Federer to Andre Sa, a former Brazilian tennis player, now director of public relations for Australian Open players. This year, in fact, the approach to the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne is made difficult for everyone by the rules to contain the Coronavirus pandemic and Federer has therefore decided to give up, because he should have either gone alone or imposed a heavy quarantine on his wife and sons. This is therefore the real reason why the Swiss would have given up on the appointment with the Australian Open 2021, not the injury that kept him out of the game for the whole second half of 2020 ––- that is, since tennis has resumed playing. “”For 20 years I was always on the move, constantly on the move. The longest time at home was a maximum of five to six weeks. A break like that is really good. I can come down and spend a lot of time with my family,” Federer said. “Switzerland is my absolute favorite country, and I have always known that one day after I end my tennis career I would live here. If the cogs no longer work, then I stop,” Federer concluded.