Former world No.1 Roger Federer said on Friday he was excited to return to competitive tennis at next week's Qatar Open after a year-long absence.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played a tournament since his Australian Open semi-final exit against Novak Djokovic last year, undergoing two knee surgeries since.
Screenshot from Roger Federer's Twitter account
"Here we are, about to take off to fly to Doha. It's been a year since my last event," Federer, 39, said in a video posted on his Twitter feed.
The tennis great's long absence on court has caused suspicion of his retirement from the sport.
"I can tell I'm very excited... it's been a long and hard road. I know I'm not at the finish line yet but it's good, I feel I'm in a good place, I've been practicing very well and I just feel really pumped up." The Qatar Open starts on Monday.
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus plays a forehand in her quarter-final against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during the Qatar Open in Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2021. /CFP
Meanwhile, on the women's side, two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the WTA 500 Qatar Open semi-final match in Doha due to a back problem she sustained in her quarter-final meeting with Elina Svitolina.
The eighth-seeded Belarusian was scheduled to face Garbine Muguruza, who received a walkover into Saturday's final.
Muguruza will meet Czech Petra Kvitova, who beat qualifier Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-4 to storm into her third Doha title clash in the last four years.
Azarenka's injury casts doubt on her participation in next week's Dubai Tennis Championships.
(With input from Reuters)