Roger Federer To Skip Key Biscayne Event

Written by: Staff on 21st November 2012

Roger Federer To Skip Key Biscayne Event

epa03157869 Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a return to Ryan Harrison of the US at the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, Florida, USA, 24 March 2012. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

Roger Federer, who left the umbrella of IMG management five months ago, has struck another blow against the company by opting not to play in the most prestigious tournament in their roster; next March’s Sony Open in Miami.

Federer severed his links with IMG when his long-term agent Tony Godsick decided not to renew his contract with the media and representation conglomerate after 19 years of employment.

The 31 year-old world no.2 has contested the Miami event, bought by IMG from founder Butch Buchholz for a reported $25 million a decade ago, every year since 1999 and has won the title twice, in 2005 and 2006.

Federer announced his decision on his own website rogerfederer.com but is perfectly at liberty to miss a Masters 1000 series event. With12 years of service and over 600 matches played on the ATP World Tour , Federer is now free to pick and choose those otherwise mandatory Masters events he chooses without the threat of a fine.

According to the ATP World Tour’s Rulebook: “A player’s number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments shall be reduced by one (1) tournament for reaching each of the following milestones: 1) 600 matches* (as of 1 January of the commitment year); 2) 12 years of service; 3) 31 years of age (as of 1 January of the commitment year). If all three (3) conditions are met then the player has a complete exemption from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 player commitment.”

Miami is not the only high profile omission from Federer’s tournament schedule released for 2013. He will also skip the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, which should come as no real surprise as he opted out of the playing the clay court event two years out of the last three and has never won the title.

However he has also not scheduled to play his hometown tournament, the Swiss Indoors in Basel where he once worked as a ball-boy. Federer has won the title in the St. Jakobshalle five times. Later in the year he will not head to Paris Bercy for the BNP Paribas Masters.

Federer will begin his 2013 schedule at the Australian Open before contesting ATP 500 tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai (where he has a home). Then his only stop in the United States is the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

As part of his more sensible schedule, he will then take seven weeks off the tour before returning on clay for the Mutua Madrilena Open in Madrid. The very next week will see him at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome before a week’s rest to prepare for the French Open at Roland Garros.

By virtue of a long-term contract he will warm up on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle before Wimbledon. During the North American summer, Federer will play the Rogers Cup in Montreal, and the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati prior to the US Open.

In the fall, his only tournament date is the Shanghai Rolex Masters and if he qualifies for the 12th year in succession, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Like this year he will skip the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris again.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Atp World Tour, IMG tennis news, Masters 1000, Miami tennis news, Roger Federer, Sony Open