Roger Federer, who will miss the Australian Open for the first time, has been training in Dubai for 3 weeks with 2020 junior French Open champion Dominic Stricker.
Federer’s comeback from two knee surgeries last year has been slower than expected. Federer expects to join the tour in a couple of weeks if he is able to get back to match fitness. Federer’s last official match was at the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, where he lost to eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
Stricker, who plays left-handed, shared the news on social media thanking Federer and his coaches Severin Luthin and Ivan Ljbjucic for the training block.
Speaking of the practice session, Dominic Stricker said, “It is impressive to see how quickly Roger switches. He is relaxed during breaks, and as soon as he takes the racket again, he switches to training mode – then he is immediately very concentrated.” (quote via @BernerZeitung)
Dominic Stricker, who is from Switzerland, beat fellow Swiss Leandro Riedi in straight sets to win the 2020 junior French Open title. He also went on to win the junior doubles titles at the French Open partnering Italian player Flavio Cobolli.