DUBAI: Roger Federer bristled a little when it was suggested to him that his days as world number one might be at an end because of his reduced schedule, and only a few seconds were needed for him to knock that idea back.
The 31-year-old top-ranking record-holder is only planning to play 14 tournaments this year, even dropping his home town tournament in Basel and the Miami tournament which has sometimes been described as the biggest outside the four Grand Slams.
Federer, who is now world number two, is already more than 4000 ranking points behind the leader Novak Djokovic, whose total is 40 percent more than the Swiss legend.
This means that the chances of the sport’s greatest legend adding to his record total of 302 weeks at the top would appear to be significantly reduced.
But Federer immediately contested that.
“It’s definitely realistic if I’m playing great, but I need to play absolutely great,” he said, before expressing his doubts. “I can play great, but will I be allowed to? Time will tell. My big focus is on making sure that every tournament I enter I am perfectly prepared. I am hopeful I will get enough matches but if not my schedule can be changed.
“I need to make sure I have enough time off, so that when 2014 comes I am in a position with options which I almost wasn’t this year to a degree.”
This is a reference to the options which will be open to him in 10 months time according to ATP Tour rules. These reduce a player’s mandatory commitments to Masters events by one tournament for each of the following milestones - 600 career matches, 12 years’ service, and 31 years of age. But because Federer will have achieved all three, he will be able to skip as many as he wishes without penalty.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s first tournament since his successful defence of the Australian Open title offers him a chance to show why he could remain the world number one for the forseeable future.
The 25-year-old Serbian’s triumph in Melbourne saw him avenge a defeat in the US Open final to his most contemporary rival, Andy Murray, making him an even stronger favourite to win back the title at the Dubai Open, which starts today.
To do that Djokovic will probably need to overcome the man who took it away from him -- Federer, who has a home in Dubai, often plays outstandingly well here, and has won the title five times.
Agencies
