The 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will be graced by the presence of Roger Federer – if organisers get their way. Federer, 40, has not played competitive tennis since undergoing knee surgery in August, and missed the Olympic Games and US Open. He remains a doubt for the Australian Open in January.
However, one tournament director is keen to have the Swiss legend competing at his event, and even thinks he should appear at the expense of a Grand Slam.
The 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will take place from April 9-17, and Zeljko Franulovic has said he was hopeful “the best players would come again,” including Federer.
“I’m certain that he will give everything he has to be able to stage another comeback on the tour, no one knows where he’ll play,” he told Ubitennis.
“However, I think that on the clay he should opt for best-of-three events like Monte-Carlo and Rome rather than the French Open.”
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“Fortunately, we are pleased to announce that the sales are as good as 2019 so on that side we are good.”
However the Croatian, himself a former professional who reached a French Open final, said organisers still needed to be mindful of the lingering complications caused by the pandemic.
“We cannot forget that there is still a sanitary situation that is not finished yet. The figures and the statistics that we watch every day are moving up and down. Fortunately they seem to be going in a better direction so we hope that for our tournament there will be no restrictions.
“But we are prepared to adapt. We did testing this year and are prepared to do that again. Hopefully it will not be needed.”
Franulovic, 74, did concede that depending on the situation with Covid-19, he would be prepared to operate with reduced crowds and vaccine passports if necessary.
This could cause issues for unvaccinated players, with Novak Djokovic leading a host of high-profile players who have vociferously opposed restrictions on players who have not been jabbed.
As a result, Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open in Melbourne is in doubt.
