Roger Federer withdraws from Dubai tennis tournament

Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer on Friday withdrew from next week’s Dubai ATP tournament, saying that “it’s best to go back to training” after he failed to make the desired comeback on the court in Doha.

Federer on Thursday lost to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open which ended his comeback campaign after undergoing two right knee surgeries last year.

Taking to Twitter Federer wrote, “It’s been great to be back on the @atptour, loved every minute playing in Doha once again. A big thank you to the best and loyal team that helped me get here. I’ve decided it’s best to go back to training and as a result, I’ve decided to withdraw from Dubai next week.”

Georgia’s Basilashvili played aggressively throughout the encounter from the baseline to rush Federer and earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory. Basilashvili saved seven of 10 break points, including a match point at 4-5 in the decider, to clinch victory after one hour and 50 minutes.

Federer was attempting to reach his seventh Doha semi-final. The second seed was making his first tournament appearance since the 2020 Australian Open this week, ATP reported.

Earlier, Federer made a winning return as he defeated Daniel Evans of Great Britain in the Round of 16 clashes.

Federer secured a 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5 victory over Evans in what was the former’s first match in 405 days.