Tennis Rumors: Roger Federer To Skip French Open For Laver Cup

Roger Federer is arguably the greatest tennis player to step on the court. He has amounted to 20 Grand Slam titles and still has a lot in the tank to continue, as he remains to be one of the more significant players on tour. The sport is still dominated by the big three that consists of him, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

He’s currently recovering from knee surgery and is aiming for a comeback in around late June. This will give him enough time to recuperate and bounce back from the lost time. The initial plan was to rehabilitate and pursue another Wimbledon title once he is fully healed.

But the dynamic of the sporting world was abruptly changed when the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus as a global pandemic. The COVID-19 has impacted countries and thousands of people as numerous lives are being infected daily. This has caused major concerns in organizing events, forcing people to stay indoors as a precautionary measure.

The health and safety of the people are the main priority hence drastic changes have been made. The biggest move lately was the French Open postponing their tournament from May to September. By that time Federer would have already been cleared for his knee injury. However, this schedule change has caused a dilemma on the organizers’ and players’ end.

The proposed September date of Roland Garros is in conflict with the 2020 Laver Cup. The Laver Cup is co-created by Federer himself and is now an officially sanctioned ATP event. The format offers a unique concept of Team Europe against Team World. The Laver Cup released a statement saying that the French Open’s schedule change came as a surprise to them but they still intend to host the tournament.

Federer’s management group Team8 was part of the team that conceptualized the tournament as intended to be the Ryder Cup of the tennis world. Given that all previous cups have featured at least one of the big three, it is speculated that Federer will opt to miss the French Open Grand Slam to participate in the international hardcourt tournament instead.