06/06/2021 11:43 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 06/06/2021 12:12 PM
Swiss Roger Federer shocked the tennis world this Sunday by announcing that he will not play his round of 16 match at Roland Garros against Italian Matteo Berrettini.
"It is important that I listen to my body and do not go too fast in the return to the competition. I am happy with my three triumphs. There is nothing better than the feeling of returning to the slopes," said the Swiss in a statement released by the organization of the Parisian Grand Slam.
Federer left the door open for retirement after having gone to the second round in a three-and-a-half-hour match against German Dominik Koepfer, the sixth he played this season, with a record of four wins and two losses.
The Swiss tennis player, eighth favorite, recalled that in 2020 he had to undergo two knee operations and then spent a year in rehabilitation, which maintains his still weak physique.
Federer had warned that the victory against Koepfer had forced him to strain his knee too much and that he gave himself a few hours to evaluate whether it was worth continuing in a tournament in which he had no expectations of victory and that, on the contrary, could compromise his preparation for Wimbledon, his great goal of the season.
Although it does not clarify whether he will return to Roland Garros in the future, the Swiss player, who will turn 40 in August, ends his statement with a "see you soon".
It is the first time that the Swiss has left a Grand Slam tournament
that has already started and the fifth in his entire career, having done so in Rome in 2019, in the 2014 Masters Cup, in Doha in 2012 and in the 1,000 Masters. de Bercy in 2008. In the 1,519 games he has played in his stupendous career, however, he has never retired during a match.
Federer had returned to Roland Garros after failing to contest the clay-court Grand Slam last year due to his knee injury.
Adored by the French public, who do not find local idols to meet their expectations, Federer had warned that his visit to the French capital was more about filming than true competition.
Roland Garros is the Grand Slam that the Swiss has won the fewest times - one, in 2009 - of the 20 'greats' that he treasures.
In addition, he has played four other finals, always defeated by Rafa Nadal, who is now on his way to his 14th victory in Paris without his historic adversary in the way.
Source: agencies