Australian Open 2023: Without Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty will drop by
Australia's tennis fans had hoped to say goodbye to Roger Federer at the 2023 Australian Open. Nothing will come of it. Last year's winner Ashleigh Barty will turn up at Melbourne Park - for promotional purposes.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit:
Jan 04, 2023, 09:46 am
Roger Federer's farewell from Melbourne: He wasn't really beautiful. Although Federer had delighted his fans with marathon matches against John Millman and Tennys Sandgren, he went into the semifinals against Novak Djokovic and had no chance in the end. Worse still: Federer's knee trembled, an operation followed, then another and another... in the end the maestro's career ended, last year at the Laver Cup in London.
It is organized by Tennis Australia, among others, and accordingly the direct invitation to the Swiss followed: "The welcome carpet will always be rolled out for Roger", it was said to the Sydney Morning Herald . In 2023, however, it will remain untouched, as it is now means - Federer is currently not planning to visit tournaments.
However, one hopes for 2024, then also in line with the 20th anniversary of Federer's first triumph "down under". Federer had won against Marat Safin in the final.
Ashleigh Barty greets from Melbourne Park
Another tennis retiree, meanwhile, will play at Melbourne Park: Ashleigh Barty. She had won the Rod Laver Arena last year and surprisingly announced her retirement a few weeks later , at the age of only 25.
Barty is attending to some of her sponsors' commitments during her visit, and unlike Federer, she has a major advantage: as a local hero, her journey to the event is a lot shorter than a flight from Switzerland.