WATCH: Roger Federer back on clay as he gears up for long-anticipated Geneva Open debut
Roger Federer is stepping up his preparations for his return to clay with the 20-time Grand Slam winner teasing his fans with a practise session on the red dirt.
The world No 8 has played only two matches in over 15 months as he missed the bulk of the 2020 season and the start of this campaign after two operations on his right knee.
After losing in the second round of the Qatar Open, Federer opted to skip several tournaments in order to focus on training, but he will return to action in just over a fortnight after adding the Geneva Open to his schedule with the tournament his only warm-up event ahead of Roland Garros.
And he gave fans a glimpse of his practise session and ON shoes on Thursday.
Federer last played a competitive match on clay at the 2019 French Open when he was beaten in straight sets by Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.
His Geneva Open debut, though, will be played without any fans after organisers confirmed no spectators will be allowed at the Tennis Club de Genève for the ATP 250 event.
“We are getting hundreds of requests a day,” Tournament Director Thierry Grin told letemps.ch. “They would love to see Roger Federer play. But we will reserve just a few tickets only to our sponsors.”
He added: “We reserve these few tickets for our sponsors, in proportion to their investment, since they are the ones who keep the tournament alive.”
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