Geneva Open tournament director Thierry Grin said “the stars have aligned” for Roger Federer to agree to play this year’s event.The 20-time Grand Slam champion announced on Sunday that he would return at the ATP 250 clay court tournament in Switzerland in May, before playing the French Open.
“It’s just exceptional, it’s our best dream come true. Sport has suffered so much, it had to start again one day,” Grin told Le Matin.
“But to relaunch with the return of Roger Federer in Switzerland, I find that this is a magnificent signal and a superb reward for all those who fought to keep sport alive during this pandemic.
🇨🇭 @rogerfederer announced today that he will only play two tournaments on clay; Geneva and the French Open. As a result, he has withdrawn from Madrid and Rome in order to continue training on clay. pic.twitter.com/wga27i0McI
“There were not twelve thousand possibilities to have it. The stars have aligned this year, it is a gift from heaven. With the calendar situation and his rescheduling, our tournament fell better and better in his desire to ramp up towards his big goals.
“In addition, Roger Federer has strong links with Geneva, there are very close friends and also Marc Rosset with whom he was able to talk. The emotional aspect played a decisive role.”
