Roger Federer has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open as the 20-time major champion continues to work his way back to full fitness following a knee injury, his agent has announced.
Federer has not played since losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open at the start of this year, having twice undergone knee surgery since that tournament.
The 39-year-old Swiss superstar will not travel to Melbourne for the rescheduled 2021 Australian Open, which will take place from Feb. 8-21.
"Roger has decided not to play the 2021 Australian Open. He has made strong progress in the last couple of months with his knee and his fitness," Tony Godsick said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"However, after consultation with his team, he decided that the best decision for him in the long run is to return to competitive tennis after the Australian Open.
"I will start discussions this coming week for tournaments that begin in late February and then start to build a schedule for the rest of the year."
Federer is a six-time winner of the Australian Open, with his last triumph coming in 2018.
Ranked fifth on the ATP Tour, Federer had a 5-1 win-loss record before his 2020 campaign was cut short.
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— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) December 24, 2020
The 2021 Australian Open, meanwhile, will take place in February instead of its typical Jan. 18 start date amid the coronavirus pandemic.
There will be warmup events in Melbourne after traveling players serve 14-day quarantine periods in Victoria that permit them to train for a maximum of five hours per day at a secure facility.
There will be three ATP warmup events in Melbourne, too, including the ATP Cup from Feb. 1-5.
The Adelaide International has been relocated to Melbourne and will run alongside an additional ATP 250 tournament in the city from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.