Federer Looking to Scale Back in 2013
Roger Federer says he won’t play as often in the next few years and hopes to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Federer is in Brazil to take part in an exhibition match against Thomaz Bellucci. To date in his storied career, Federer has competed in four Olympics, winning the Gold Medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Games and a Silver Medal in singles at this past summer’s 2012 London Games.
"I have to make sure that I take care of my schedule, of my body, of my mind," said Federer. "Hopefully I can still stay on tour for many more years and hopefully play the Olympics here in three and a half years or so, so I have to look far ahead and not just the next six months."
Federer played 21 tournaments in 2012, the most among the top four players. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic played in 18, third-seeded Andy Murray played in 20 and injury-plagued Rafael Nadal played in 18 events in 2012.
"I’m not going to play 25 tournaments, but every tournament that I will be playing I’ll be emotionally attached to it, because I either won there before or because I’ve been there many times or because I love the city or the country and the fans," said Federer. "Today, I’ve reached a point in my life that I can pick and choose where I want to play and how much I want to play."
One of the tournaments he left out of his 2013 schedule was Miami, the Masters event in March he has played since 1999 and won twice.
"Miami was a tough decision for me," said Federer. "But I have to take some time off, first of all, but most importantly, I need to practice. This year I couldn’t practice at all. Something had to go in the calendar and that was Miami, unfortunately."
