Roger Federer Unlikely To Play Australian Open. Is His Career In Doubt?

Roger Federer confirmed rumors that all is not well with his knee. His recovery is going slower than planned. This means that he may miss the 2021 Australian Open.

I would have hoped I would be 100 per cent by October but I’m not today. It will be complicated for the Australian Open. I don’t want to take the next step until I’m ready. These three weeks could help me a bit.

– Roger Federer

Federer said that he plans to play at Wimbledon, the Olympics, and the US Open. Participating at the Tokyo Olympics remains a priority for Federer given his main sponsor Uniqlo is a Japanese company and his love for the Olympics.

Until his comments, Federer had remained silent on his health status. He has been practicing in recent weeks with Ivo Heuberger, who retired in 2008. In prior years, Federer would fly in ATP players for practice. Not this year.

Federer also typically practices in Dubai around this time of the year. But that’s not been the case this year.  There have been some reports suggesting that Federer needs to increase his playing intensity quite a bit to be competitive at the ATP level.

Federer made some comments about his career that have caused a lot of concern among his fans. Last night, after winning the award for the Best Swiss Athlete in 70 years, Federer seemed to suggest that he will be fine if his career ended with the award.

I hope there is still something to see from me next year. But if that was it, that would have been an incredible ending for me at these Sports Awards.

– Roger Federer

Is his injury so serious that his career is in doubt?  He is pushing almost 40 and will have been away from the tour for about a year if he returns in March.

Will Federer return if his knee is not back to 100% and can’t play at his best? As always, Federer appears to remain calm but that can’t be said for his fans.

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Alexander Zverev Settles Dispute With Former Management Company

Alexander Zverev has reached an agreement with his former management company, Ace Group International. Ace, which is based in London, had represented Zverev from 2012 when Zverev was 15.

Zverev tried to terminate his relationship with Ace but Ace disputed his right to end the contract. Reports have suggested that Ace’s contract with Zverev was expected to run until 2023 with payments to Ace continuing for another 5 years.

When Zverev was with Ace, he was represented by veteran agent Patricio Apey. Apey is well known in tennis circles and had represented Andy Murray in his early years on the tour.  Apey signed up Zverev for lucrative deals outside Germany before Zverev broke through on the international stage.

German media reported that Apey paid Zverev 1.4 million Euros to avoid trial. The judge was expected to consider evidence when Zverev’s team told the judge that a settlement had been reached.

This is an important day for me because I can leave behind an unfair and oppressive contract that I signed at the age of 15.

-Sascha Zverev

Another interesting angle to this dispute is the fact that Apey is representing Zverev’s rival Stefanos Tsitisipas. Zverev and Tsitsipas are expected to be rivals for many years and sharing an agent with a rival can lead to conflicts.

Zverev is currently with Team 8, a sports management agency owned by Roger Federer and Tony Godsick.

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