Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has confirmed his participation at the Brisbane International which takes place in January 2014. This signals his intent to begin the 2014 season earlier than the usual in preparation for the Australian Open.
Brisbane International Tournament Director Cameron Pearson revealed that Federer wanted to participate in 2012 but plans changed due to his schedule. He added that the decision to play in Brisbane was made prior to the Wimbledon 2013 tournament.
“It’s been a couple of years in the making. I think he was keen to come last year. It just didn’t work with his schedule,” Pearson said.
“He played a lot of matches in the first half of the year and changed his schedule in the second half of the year. I guess that’s why Roger has been at the top of his game for such a long time,” he added.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion said that the decision to play in Brisbane was due to positive feedback the event was getting.
“I’ve heard many great things from the other players, they say it’s a very friendly tournament, fan friendly, player friendly,” Federer said. “What else do you expect to be quite honest, in Australia you guys do great work.”
