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Federer 'pumped up' for return in Doha

March 06, 2021 10:25 IST

Djokovic confirms return to Tour at Miami Open

Switzerland's Roger Federer during the Match in Africa against Spain's Rafael Nadal, at Cape Town Stadium, on February 7, 2020

IMAGE: Switzerland's Roger Federer during the Match in Africa against Spain's Rafael Nadal, at Cape Town Stadium, on February 7, 2020. Photograph: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Former world number one Roger Federer said on Friday he was excited to return to competitive tennis at next week's Qatar Open after a year-long absence.

 

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played a tournament since his Australian Open semi-final exit against Novak Djokovic last year, undergoing two knee surgeries since.

"Here we are, about to take off to fly to Doha. It's been a year since my last event," Federer, 39, said in a video posted on his Twitter feed.

"I can tell I'm very excited... it's been a long and hard road. I know I'm not at the finish line yet but it's good, I feel I'm in a good place, I've been practising very well and I just feel really pumped up."

The Doha Open starts on Monday.

Djokovic confirms return to Tour at Miami Open

World number one Novak Djokovic has said he will return to the court at this month's Miami Open having recuperated from a muscle tear suffered during his Australian Open title defence.

The 33-year-old Serbian suffered the injury during a third round match at Melbourne Park but that did not stop him from clinching a record-extending ninth Australian Open title and his 18th Grand Slam.

He will surpass Roger Federer's all-time record for most weeks as ATP world number one on Monday, holding the top spot for the 311th week.

According to a partial schedule posted on his website http://www.novakdjokovic.com, Djokovic is entered for the ATP Masters 1000 event on the hardcourts in Miami from March 22-April 4. It is the first of three events he will play in before heading to Europe for the claycourt swing ahead of the French Open in end May.

From Miami, where he has won six titles, Djokovic will head to Monaco for the Monte-Carlo Masters, running from April 11-18, before returning home to Belgrade for the ATP 250 Serbia Open.

The Tour is returning to Belgrade for the first time since 2012, and the Serbia Open will be held at Djokovic's tennis center from April 19-25.

Source: REUTERS
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