Roger Federer Withdraws from Miami Open, Will ‘Slowly Work His Way Back’ for 2021 Return. An agent for the 39-year-old athlete told the Associated Press on Monday that Federer will instead spend time getting ready to “work his way back out on tour,” as he has other appearances scheduled soon. Federer has not played since undergoing two surgeries to his right knee in early 2020. He still plans to participate in Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha this month. “After Doha and maybe Dubai, he will go back and do a training block to continue to slowly work his way back out on tour,” said his agent Tony Godsick. According to the AP, James Blake, the Miami Open tournament director, said he understands that Federer has to do what’s best for himself. “We certainly would have loved Roger to return to Miami to defend his title,” he said, noting that Federer won the men’s singles final in 2019. “However, as a former player, I understand that you need to tailor your travel and playing schedule to properly work your way back to 100 percent fitness when coming off an injury. Roger is an incredible ambassador for the sport, so the longer he is able to play on tour, the better it is for all of tennis.”
