Roger Federer has announced his plans to return to tennis at the ATP 500 tournament in Doha in March.
The Swiss legend left fans in misery after he announced he would not be going down under to play in the Australia Open as he is still recovering from knee surgery.
The 39-year-old has not played since he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Melbourne Park semi-finals last January.
He is currently tied with Rafael Nadal on 20 grand slam titles.
On Tuesday, the tennis legend announced his intention for a major return after recovering from a double knee surgery he underwent in 2020 and said he thinks competing at a smaller stress-free tournament may help aid in a perfect return.
Federer’s agent Tony Godsick said in December he is looking to build a playing calendar for the Swiss star from late February onwards.
“I want to celebrate great victories again. And for that I’m ready to go the long, hard road,” Federer told SRF.
“I’ve been thinking about when and where to come back for a long time.
“I wanted to make my comeback at a smaller tournament so that I wasn’t fully in focus and where the stress is also a little less.”
Federer said he has been keeping a close eye on results on the ATP Tour.
“I actually thought that I would not follow the sport very much and would be more busy with my children and my rehab,” Federer added.
“I was surprised that I kept checking results and watching matches.
“And normally I don’t do that at all if I don’t take part in a tournament.”
