Roger Federer subtly issues challenge to Rafael Nadal with another MASSIVE 2021 update

Roger Federer will begin his Grand Slam preparations starting in Geneva next month. The 39-year-old missed more than a year with two successive knee injuries but returned last month in the Qatar Open. Federer will be gunning for his 21st Grand Slam title along with Rafael Nadal in the French Open 2021.

Roger Federer Grand Slams: Swiss maestro to play in Geneva, ramps up preparations for Roland Garros 

Roger Federer issued a major update on social media, confirming his plans for the upcoming tennis tournaments. Following his twin knee surgeries, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has managed his playing time participating in the Qatar Open but opting-out from the Dubai Open. Taking to Twitter, Federer wrote, “Hi everyone! Happy to let you know that I will play Geneva and Paris. Until then I will use the time to train. Can’t wait to play in Switzerland again".

The French Open were happy with the news and took to social media to confirm the same. The Geneva ATP 250 event is scheduled to run from May 16-22, while the French Open 2021 begins on May 30 in Paris.

Federer has only won the Roland Garros title once, way back in 2009, where he defeated Robin Söderling in the final. The 39-year-old returned on Tour at last month's Qatar Open, where he suffered a quarter-final defeat by Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili. During his time out with injury, his friend and on-court rival Rafael Nadal made up his Grand Slams deficit, equalling his record of 20 titles.

Nadal, dubbed as the 'King of Clay' will be the favourite to retain his crown in Paris, having won it 13 times, the latest being last year. The French Open will be the first tournament to have the Big 3 competing for the first time in the Grand Slam since in the 2020 Australian Open. Novak Djokovic will aim to close the gap on the other two, having lifted the Australian Open at the start of the year to take his Grand Slam tally to 18. 

Earlier this month, the French Tennis Federation made the responsible decision to postpone the 2021 Roland-Garros tournament by one week. The decision came amidst the rising coronavirus cases and was taken in agreement with the French public authorities and the governing bodies of international tennis. In his speech on March 31, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced that a schedule to progressively get cultural and sporting events back up and running would be set up from mid-May onwards, subject to the improvement of the health situation.

(Image Courtesy: Roger Federer Twitter)