Roger Federer to miss 2021 Australian Open through injury

Six-time champion Roger Federer will miss the delayed Australian Open next year, for the first time in his career.

The 39-year-old Swiss, who has 20-time Grand Slam titles to his name, is continuing to recover from knee surgery.

World number 5, Federer, who has not played since January because of two operations, had hoped to be back for the tournament, which will start in Melbourne on 8 February.

Tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed the news through a statement on Monday morning saying,

"Roger ran out of time to get himself ready for the rigors of a Grand Slam and he's very disappointed he won't be coming to Melbourne in 2021.

"The Australian Open has always held a special place in his heard - remember it was Roger who first called the AO the 'happy slam'.

"We wish him all the best as he prepares for his comeback later in the year and look forward to seeing him in Melbourne in 2022."

Meanwhile, Scotland's Andy Murray was awarded an Australian Open 2021 main-draw wildcard on Sunday as the former world No.1 looks to build momentum in his return to the top of professional tennis.

Murray is one of eight main draw wildcard recipients and joins Aussies Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alex Bolt, Aleksandar Vukic, Destanee Aiava, and Arina Rodionova.

India’s Sumit Nagal and Wang Xiyu of China will also compete in the main draw after being named recipients of the tournament’s Asia-Pacific wildcards.

These players join Daria Gavrilova, Astra Sharma, Christopher O’Connell, Maddison Inglis, Lizette Cabrera, and Marc Polmans, who were announced as AO 2021 main-draw wildcards prior to Christmas.