Tennis

'It annoys me' – Roger Federer defended amid criticism over Davis Cup stance


Roger Federer has been defended by Marc Rosset for his decision to play exhibition matches during the Davis Cup Finals.

Federer hasn’t played in the Davis Cup since the 2015 edition and has been fairly critical of the new format created by Gerard Pique.

What used to be an event which took place throughout the calendar year, the Davis Cup Finals are now being played in a week-long event in one city.

With Switzerland not qualifying for the tournament, Federer had already made plans to tour North and South America in the same week as the Davis Cup.

His decision has drawn some criticism though, with the likes of French Davis Cup captain Julien Benneteau not happy about the timing of it all.

However, former Switzerland Davis Cup captain Marc Rosset has defended the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“It annoys me,” he told RTS.

“Firstly, we do not know if he is not going to give this money to his Foundation or to other works, as he does with what he has to do with the Swiss Indoors.

“Secondly, if we start mixing sport and politics, then we must not go to the Beijing Olympics or the World Cup 2022.

“Should we even stop Roland Garros because there are yellow vests?

“In short, everyone conceals the fact that Federer plays these games just to have the feelings that he lives there, to please the spectators.

“He is a rock star and he gives pleasure to people.”

Alexander Zverev has travelled with Federer to play in five countries across seven days as part of the exhibition tour.

They have already delighted fans in Chile and Argentina, with the latest being a scheduled match in Bogota, Colombia.

However, the match was cancelled at the last minute amid growing security concerns.

There are currently large riots taking place in Bogota and the west side of the country protesting the government with reports stating police have used teargas with a curfew also in place.



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