Roger Federer to miss first Australian Open since 1999 due to knee injury

Six-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer’s bid to beat the clock in his comeback from a knee injury in time to play in Melbourne is over.

Roger Federer will miss the Australian Open for the first time since 1999

When lamenting Roger Federer’s withdrawal from the Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley noted the Swiss champion had always dubbed the event the “happy slam”.

By any measure, the absence of the six-time champion next February will take some of the shine and happiness from an Australian Open that has overcome a challenge just to exist in 2021.

A fortnight after casting doubt on his participation as he recovers from a knee injury sustained in the 2020 Australian Open, Federer’s agent Tony Godsick made his withdrawal official on Monday.

The 39-year-old has been training in Dubai but even with the delay of the Australian summer to February, Federer does not believe he will be fully fit to tackle a gruelling grand slam event.

The Olympics in Tokyo, Wimbledon and the US Open are now his primary aims for 2021.

Despite his absence, the 2021 edition of Australia’s great event will still be a hit, such is the star power of those prepared to quarantine for a fortnight in order to compete.

It marks the return to grand slam tennis of world No 1 Ash Barty, a semi-finalist in January and Australia’s great hope to end a drought for local champions now in its fifth decade.

Novak Djokovic is chasing a remarkable ninth Australian Open. Serena Williams still pursues Margaret Court and grand slam title No 24.

Rafael Nadal could set a new mark in Melbourne if he can win a 21st major title. History beckons.

There are also several other stars ready to shine, some established, others showing promise.

Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur promise a great deal. Dominic Thiem and Iga Swiatek were among those to blossom in New York and Paris in the latter stages of this year.

But Federer’s loss is a significant one for the tournament. The numbers do not lie. The betwitcher from Basel is the biggest name in tennis by some margin.

It is the reason why Australian Open sponsors, along with his fans, will view his absence as a clear blow.

Only a week ago he claimed the ATP Tour’s fan favourite award for the 18th season in succession.

This is despite the fact the eight-time Wimbledon winner has not played since January.

When Federer defeated Nadal to claim the 2017 Australian Open, which was his first major success in five years, the television audience peaked at 4.4 million and averaged 3.5 million.

EuroSport said it was the most watched tennis match of all time on their network at the time. And it was a hit in markets across the globe.

Federer has effectively been box office gold for the Australian Open and the host broadcaster, initially Seven and then Nine, since claiming his first grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2003.

In that time the 39-year-old has made 15 semi-finals in Melbourne. Effectively, he has spent more time in the Victorian capital each January than some of Melbourne’s residents.

That has meant the prime time slot for television networks has been looked after every second night throughout the duration of the Australian Open for more than a decade.

Tiley has been on automatic pilot as tournament director when it comes to the Swiss.

That has prompted some jealousy from fans of other players, but such is the star power of Federer, the broadcasters want him when it matters most, which is the after dinner timeslot.

The major sponsors that have made the event Australia’s most lucrative want as many eyeballs as possible watching on television screens and Federer has almost always delivered.

It is a day of reckoning for the Australian Open that the French Open and US Open have already experienced.

The 2021 Australian Open will be a pointer to a future without the golden goose of the sport.

There is obviously hope that Federer will return to Melbourne in 2022.

But the champion will have been 40 for almost six months when the 2022 Australian Open begins.

Ken Rosewall holds the record as the oldest man to win a grand slam singles title dating back to his success as a 37-year-old in the 1972 Australian Open.

The Australian great is also the oldest finalist, having made the deciders at Wimbledon and the US Open as a 39-year-old in 1974.

Federer’s 20th grand slam success came in Melbourne in 2018.

Since then, he held two match points against Djokovic to win the 2019 Wimbledon final and has made two other semi-finals in his other six subsequent appearances at major level.

Time catches up with even the greatest. Federer fans will be hoping that, post surgery, he can hold its shadow at bay long enough to make at least one more visit to Melbourne as a player.