After being off the tennis courts for more than a year, former ATP number 1 Roger Federer returned to compete in the rich ATP 250 in Doha, where he played in the quarter-finals against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, future winner of the Qatari event, lost.
After skipping the Dubai Championships, the Swiss champions are now returning to Geneva, where they have never played before. The Geneva Open, an event in the “ATP 250” category, was launched in 1980 and ran until 1991 and was added to the calendar again from 2015 onwards.
Throughout its history, players like Björn Borg, Mats Wilander, Henri Leconte, Marc Rosset and Thomas Muster have triumphed, while Stan Wawrinka and Alexander Zverev have achieved success in recent years.
Grin: “Federer has high goals”
Before the tournament started, Thierry Grin, Director of the Geneva Open, as reported by We Love Tennis, said, “Roger Federer is not coming here just to say hello. He’s coming to win matches ahead of his big goal, Wimbledon.
May and ends on May 22nd. Federer should then return to contest Roland Garros, won in Paris in 2009, where he played in the semi-finals before the coronavirus pandemic two years ago. Thirteen-time champion Rafael Nadal is a big favorite in the French capital, despite winning just one of three sand competitions this year: the Godò tournament in Barcelona, but instead lost in the quarter-finals of Monte Carlo and Madrid.
The last game between Mallorcans and King Roger took place in the semifinals of Wimbledon 2019, which the Swiss won in the fourth set. Roger must defend the final at Wimbledon, which he lost with two chances to serve, in order to end the game for good. The Serb Novak Djokovic, who is absent from Madrid, will return to the field in Rome. Photo credit: ATP Tour
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