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ROGER FEDERER

Hometown hero Federer set to defend Basel title

Roger Federer will claim the bulk of the spotlight when the Swiss Indoors tournament begins on Monday with his opening showcase match.

Published: 22 October 2012 11:20 CEST

Hometown hero Federer set to defend Basel title

Photo: John Togasaki (File)

The hometown hero and world number one will miss the chance at possible revenge against Andy Murray after a Shanghai semi-final defeat a week ago as the US Open champion withdrew with back pain before the draw.

It was Murray's second straight Basel pullout after he quit prior to his first match a year ago with a muscle injury.

Murray has not played a match at the venue since his only appearance in 2005 as a teenager.

Federer, as usual, is scheduled for prime-time Monday evening at the St Jakobshalle, the iconic local venue where he got his start in tennis two decades ago as a ballboy.

He will open his title defence against German qualifier Benjamin Becker after French opponent Jeremy Chardy withdrew injured before the start.

Chardy was reported to be suffering with neck pain as he handed over his spot in the draw.

The Swiss world number one stands 2-0 over Becker without the loss of a set.

Federer will be fighting during the week to protect his top season ranking, with pressure on from number two Serb Novak Djokovic, who is taking the week off from competition.

Federer is defending champion's points over the next three weeks after a stunning finish to last season.

The 31-year-old has won five of the last six editions in Basel, defeating Japan's Kei Nishikori in the 2011 final.

Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, chasing a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals in London for which Federer has already qualified, takes the second seeding, ahead of Richard Gasquet of France.

Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka is seeded fourth and begins against Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko.

Italian Andreas Seppi takes the fifth seeding, ahead of Mikhail Youzhny, Florian Mayer and Viktor Troicki.

Wild cards go to a pair of Swiss players — longtime Federer friend Marco Chiudinelli and youngster Henri Laaksonen.

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Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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