Roger Federer hasn't appeared on a tennis court since February of 2020. Fans of the tennis star are going to have to wait slightly longer to see him again, as he has withdrawn from the Miami Open. Federer's agent, Tony Godsick, told the Associated Press that Federer is skipping the Miami Open in order to "work his way back out on tour."
While Federer isn't planning on competing in this month's Miami Open, he does still plan on making his return at the Qatar Open. The 39-year old tennis star posted a photo of himself on his Twitter account on Friday and captioned it "The countdown to Doha begins."
Federer is also expected to participate in the hard-court tournament in Dubai, which gets underway on March 14.
"After Doha and maybe Dubai, (Federer) will go back and do a training block to continue to slowly work his way back out on tour," Godsick told the AP.
Federer has been out of action for a full calendar year after having two procedures done on his right knee. The Swiss star last competed in the semifinals of the Australian Open last February.
Miami Open tournament director James Blake wished that Federer would've participated in the Miami Open, but understands why the 20-time Grand Slam champion is sitting the event out.
"We certainly would have loved Roger to return to Miami to defend his title," Blake said. "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.''
Last month, Federer told Swiss broadcaster SRF that he planned to return for the Qatar Open. Federer also revealed that his goals 2021 include participating in both Wimbledon and the Olympics. Wimbledon -- which Federer has won eight times -- was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.