My knee is once again ready for competition: Roger Federer aiming comeback at Doha Open in March

Swiss
tennis player Roger Federer said on Tuesday that he is aiming for his comeback
at the Doha Open in March after recovering from two knee operations that
kept him away for a year. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been out of action since
February 2020. However, he decided to compete in the Australian Open in
December last year. The tournament was delayed due to COVID-19 and is set to begin next week.

This will be the first time that the tennis star has missed the
season-opening Grand Slam in Melbourne, reported AFP.

Also read: Roger Federer withdraws from Australian Open despite ‘strong progress’ on knee injury

Federer in an interview with Swiss radio SRF said that now he
felt ready to start his season in the Qatar tournament, commencing on March 8.

He told, “For the first time I’ve got the feeling that
my knee is once again ready for competition”.

“This is my first attempt to return to a tournament. So it’s
important for me, for my team, that it’s a minor event, and not a major, with
all the stress that involves. I have to be ready, mentally and physically, to
last five matches in five days,” added the 39-year-old player, reported AFP.

Also read: Roger Federer training, committed to playing Australian Open: Tournament organiser

Federer whose main aim for 2021 is Wimbledon and the Tokyo
Olympics appearance lastly a year ago in the semi-final of Australian Open which
was eventually won by Novak Djokovic, a Serbian and world No. 1 tennis player.

Since his 20th and last Grand Slam victory in Melbourne in 2018, the
current world number five has only made it to win major final, at Wimbledon in
2019 where he lost to Djokovic despite having two match points.