Roger Federer, who will be returning to Doha next week after more than a year of absence, will not defend his title at the first Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Miami. Federer’s manager Tony Godsick confirmed this to the Miami Herald on Monday.
The 39-year-old Swiss has not played since he was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at the 2020 Australian Open. The twenty-time Grand Slam winner has since undergone two operations on the right knee.
After Doha, Federer will normally play at the tournament in Dubai (March 14-20). Afterwards, he will take a rest and therefore not travel to Miami to prepare for the clay court season in Europe, according to his manager.
Roger Federer won the previous edition, in 2019, of the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. In the final he defeated American John Isner 6-1 and 6-4. Last year, the tournament was canceled due to the corona crisis.
.
