Surgery forces Roger Federer to withdraw from Dubai title defence
Roger Federer holds the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy after his 2019 title triumph
Defending champion Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after undergoing knee surgery in Switzerland on Wednesday. The 38 year-old was set to vie for his ninth title in Dubai but will now not be able to play until the grass court season begins in June.
“My right knee has been bothering me for a little while,” Federer tweeted. “I hoped it would go away, but after an examination, and discussion with my team, I decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday. After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery. As a result, I will unfortunately have to miss Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami and the French Open. I am grateful for everyone’s support. I can’t wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass!”
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) February 20, 2020
“We are very disappointed that Roger Federer, our defending champion, has been forced to withdraw from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this year,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free. “His victory here last year, the 100th title of his career, was a significant milestone, and he went on to enjoy another outstanding season. We wish him well in his recovery and look forward to not only watching his progress during the rest of the season, but welcoming him back to Dubai in 2021.”
Tournament Director Salah Tahlak added, “We wish Roger Federer the very best, and despite this news, we still have a fantastic field including world No.1 and Wimbledon Champion Novak Djokovic and last year’s finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas as well as Gael Monfils to name a few. In the meantime time, WTA week is going very well with great crowds at last nights’ match to see top seed Simona Halep play Tunisian wild card Ons Jabeur.”
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, continues with the WTA event until 22nd February followed by the ATP tournament between 24th and 29th February.
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The tournament continues with the WTA event until 22nd February and is then followed between 24th and 29th February by the ATP tournament which features the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion and world No.1 Novak Djokovic, ATP Finals winner Stefanos Tsitsipas, 2020 Rotterdam and Montpellier champion Gael Monfils and 2018 Dubai winner Roberto Bautista Agut.
