Federer absent from Miami entries

 

Originally published on: 08/02/13 00:00

Federer, a two-time champion at Crandon Park, has never previously missed the Miami Masters since his debut in 1999, but has opted to skip the event which begins on March 20.

The world No. 2, who suffered a shock defeat to Andy Roddick in the third round last year, has not reached the final since he won the event in 2006.

At 31, with over 12 years of service and 600 matches played, Federer is now exempt from the ATP Tour Masters player commitment.

He is set to return to action at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam next week before competing in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships later this month. He will then head to the United States for the defence of his BNP Paribas Open title at Indian Wells next month.

The Swiss is also planning to skip the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in April, meaning he will have a two-month break before kicking off his clay campaign in Madrid.

“I have to make sure that I take care of my schedule, of my body, of my mind,” Federer said recently. “Hopefully I can still stay on tour for many more years and hopefully play the Olympics [in Rio in 2016], so I have to look far ahead and not just the next six months.”

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