Roger Federer Expected To Return At Doha In March: Report

Roger Federer is expected to make his much-anticipated return at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha which runs March 8-13, according to Richard Krajicek.

“As far as I know, Roger will play in Doha, the week after Rotterdam. But if he is fit and ready to play, we will hear from him,” said Krajicek, a former top player who is now the tournament director in Rotterdam, which runs March 1-7.

Federer, 39, trains in Dubai, which is only 235 miles from Doha, which is played on outdoor hardcourts.

Krajicek announced world No. 2 Rafael Nadal as the top star in Rotterdam, but would like to add Federer to the field as well. Federer is a three-time Rotterdam champion, winning the first title in 2005 and capturing it most recently in 2018.

Federer, whose 20 career Grand Slams are now tied with Nadal for tops among men, announced last month he was withdrawing from the rescheduled Australian Open due to two surgeries on his right knee in 2020.

“I will start discussions this coming week for tournaments that begin in late February and then start to build a schedule for the rest of the year,” his agent Tony Godsick and CEO of their management company, TEAM8, told The Associated Press via email.

Federer hasn’t played an ATP event since losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of last year’s Australian Open. He last played when he beat Nadal in a charity match in South Africa in February.

He then underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery in February and had a follow-up procedure in June. At that point, he announced he wouldn’t play against until 2021.

Federer even raised concerns about his future by saying, “I hope there is still something to see of me in the new year. We will see.”

Earlier this year, Federer landed the top spot on the annual Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes with $106.3 million in pre-tax earnings. The Swiss ace was the first tennis player to take the No. 1 rank since the list debuted in 1990.