The 39-year-old Roger Federer has finally entered a tournament after the most extended break of his career, practicing in Doha ahead of his first tournament since the last year's Australian Open!
The 20-time Major champion arrived in Doha on Saturday and embraced his first practice session, preparing for his first duel against Jeremy Chardy or Daniel Evans in the second round.
The Briton trained with Federer in Dubai, and they shared the court in Doha as well, with a possible official match between them coming in a couple of days. Roger had to undergo two surgeries in February and May last year, deciding to skip the rest of the season after the second and set eyes on a fresh start in 2021.
Federer will try to shape his game before summer and his beloved Wimbledon, hoping to seek titles at the All England Club and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Roger is a three-time Doha champion, winning the last title ten years ago and competing in the desert for the last time in 2012 when he gave Jo-Wilfried Tsonga a walkover before the semi-final.
The Qatar Open brings a rock-solid field of players, with Dominic Thiem, Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin and Stan Wawrinka as Roger's biggest opponents en route to the title.
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