INJURY ALERT. Why Federer will not play the ATP 1000 in Paris after Basel

Roger Federer won the Swiss Indoors in Basel to take his tally for the season to four titles. The 38-year-old won in Miami, Dubai and at the Halle Open. His latest victory was the 103^rd title in his illustrious career. The current number three played the 1500^th match of his career on his way to the title in Basel.

Federer wins his 10^th Basel title

Federer defeated Alex de Minaur in the final to win his 10^th title in Basel. The former world number one won the match against the 20-year-old in straight sets. Roger had a straight forward tournament in Switzerland. His biggest test was in the semifinals when he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas. He also won that match in straight sets. The 20-time Grand Slam winner did not play his quarterfinal tie with Stan Wawrinka. His Swiss compatriot pulled out after suffering an injury. Despite a good tournament in Basel, Federer has decided not to play at the Paris Masters this week.

Decision to skip Paris and last year’s injury

The world No.3 has pulled out of the Masters ATP 1000 tournament. He has made the decision to skip the tournament and will instead prepare for the ATP Finals in London next month. Federer played in Paris last year and made it to the semifinals. He, however, struggled with a back injury during the ATP Finals. The 38-year-old has said he will pace himself this year and will not play in Paris so that he is fit for the finals. Federer expressed his disappointment in having to pull out of the tournament. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has apologized to the fans in Paris. However, Federer intends to play at the French Open next year. For now, he will prepare for the finals in London as he seeks to win the 1500 points on offer.

Even if he isn’t successful in London, the Swiss will be happy as long as he is healthy during the tournament. “If I can do that and not win, even though I put everything into the balance, that’s okay. Then I can accept that.” Some of the players set to benefit from Federer’s absence in Paris are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The two will play in the tournament. It will be the Spaniard’s first tournament since his injury at the Laver Cup. The Spaniard and Djokovic are currently in a battle to end the year at the number one position.

Roger Federer’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.3, Roger played his last match on the 27^th of October when he beat Alex De Minaur 6-2 6-2 in the final in Basel to win his 103^rd career title.

This year Federer has a 49-8 win-loss record. Roger clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Dubai, in Miami, in Halle and in Basel. The Swiss was the finalist in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon.