Tournament Director Urges Roger Federer Should Skip French Open and Play This Clay Event

Swiss maestro Roger Federer ended his 2021 season after his Wimbledon quarterfinals loss, citing third right knee surgery. Since then, there hasn’t been any news regarding his comeback on the ATP Tour. But interestingly, while many believe that he should return and focus only on Grand Slam tournaments, Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director Zeljko Franulovic has a different suggestion for Federer. He insisted that the 40-year-old should now prioritize Monte-Carlo Masters and Italian Open instead of the French Open.

Primarily, the former Croatian player remained assertive about Federer’s comeback next year. However, he also admitted that “no one knows where he’ll play.” Even so, Franulovic hopes to see Federer in Monte-Carlo with all the top players of the world.

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Monte-Carlo tournament director on Roger Federer’s 2022 return

Without any doubt, the entire tennis world misses Roger Federer on the ATP Tour. Likewise, the Swiss maestro also remains eager to join the men’s circuit next year. But it is indeed too early to speculate when and where he would play.

Nonetheless, Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director Zeljko Franulovic is confident about Federer’s return. “I’m certain that he will give everything he has to be able to stage another comeback on tour; no one knows where he’ll play,” Franulovic told Ubitennis.

Considering his age and history of injuries, the retired Croatian recommended Federer to play the best-of-three set matches instead of the best-of-five. For this, he gave an example of the clay-court season.

“However, I think that on the clay, he should opt for best-of-three events like Monte-Carlo and Rome rather than the French Open,” Franulovic added.

This year, Federer had to withdraw from French Open after a third-round win, citing injury risk. Let’s see if the Swiss maestro will consider the Monte-Carlo director’s suggestion in 2022.

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Roger Federer officially out of Top 10

Due to fewer matches in the 2021 season, Federer’s ATP Rankings took a massive hit. Consequently, he dropped out of the Top 10 rankings for the first time since January 2017.

Hence, the owner of 103 ATP titles will have a lot to look forward to in 2022. Given his low rankings, he also might have to face more challenging draws than usual.

All in all, fans expect to see Federer grace the tennis courts once again. Hopefully, he will recover 100% and soon bring joy to tennis fans around the world.

Do you think Federer can win a Grand Slam before retirement?

Watch this story: How Roger Federer Became Roger Federer–the Story of the Swiss Maestro