Story highlights
Roger Federer rules out boycotts after winning again at ATP World Tour Finals
Swiss star says there is no reason to strike over tournament scheduling
Federer hands American Mardy Fish his third defeat of the week in London
He had already qualified top of his group for Saturday's semifinals
With world No. 1 Novak Djokovic struggling at the ATP World Tour Finals, a tired Rafael Nadal exiting early, and third-ranked Andy Murray limping out of contention, the scene is set for renewed protests by tennis stars about their testing tournament schedule.
But Roger Federer, perhaps the greatest of them all, has flatly rejected the notion that players should go on strike.
“It was brought up a few months ago, the whole boycott thing. It’s nonsense,” the 16-time grand slam champion told reporters after clinching his third successive Group B win at the season-ending event on Thursday.
“It’s not going to happen anytime soon. Things are good right now, so I don’t see a reason why we should just boycott. There’s absolutely no reason for it.”
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Murray’s call for a players’ meeting before last month’s Shanghai Masters did not eventuate in any action, and the Scot himself later stated that he did not think a strike was necessary – but that the issue of fixture scheduling needed to be addressed.
Federer took a long break after the U.S. Open in September, while Nadal also had a rest with next month’s Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina in mind.
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Djokovic, meanwhile, had to take time out due to the back and shoulder injuries which have plagued the end of his sensational season.
The Serbian looked a weary figure in his second match in London on Wednesday as he lost to Murray’s opening conqueror David Ferrer in straight sets. Murray pulled out of the tournament the day before, citing a groin injury he suffered in training last week.
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But Federer is on course to become the first man to win the ATP championships six times after overcoming Mardy Fish 6-1 3-6 6-3 to eliminate the eighth-ranked American.
The defending champion, who is president of the ATP Player Council, said a strike makes no sense.
“It’s not been an option really, in my opinion. Next year’s season is going to be shortened by two weeks,” he said.
“That’s, I think, as much as we can squeeze it really because otherwise a lot of tournaments would have to go, or we would have four tournaments the same week, which I don’t think is a very smart idea, to be honest, for the game.”
