The Tournament Director of the Masters-1000-Tournament in Paris-Bércy Guy Forget has expressed his disapproval of Roger Federer’s cancellation and criticizes the Swiss and the ATP.
The cancellation of the “Maestro” for Paris-Bércy not only hit the fans on site, but also the tournament director of the French Open and the last Masters in the year Guy Forget fought with a bitter disappointment. In an interview with the French L?Equipe he could not hide his frustration:”We are of course sad because we have put a lot of effort into welcoming Roger here,”Forget explained.
Federer announced his cancellation in Paris last Sunday after winning the final in Basel against Juan Martín del Potro. He said that the Swiss player had physical problems and needed time to recover:”Towards the end of the match against del Potro, he was visibly distressed. He has back pain, everything aches,”added the tournament director.
Despite all this understanding of the decision, Forget’s criticism resonates:”I am disappointed and frustrated. I spoke to his manager, and he told me that Federer wants to recover. There’s nothing we can do,”says the 52-year-old.
Forget also contacted those responsible for the ATP, who should have better control of such rejections:”Of course, each player has his own interests, but I think that the Masters 1000s are the 9 biggest tournaments in the ATP calendar, along with the Grand Slams. If a player skips it, the credibility of the ATP suffers.”
In fact,”FedEx” chose his schedule with care for his body. Federer cancelled the entire clay court season to be optimally prepared for the tournament in Wimbledon and the grass court season. The successes prove the Swiss to be right. It was followed by tournament victories in Halle, Wimbledon, Shanghai and recently in Basel.
Especially bitter for the fans in the French capital is the fact that Federer will not hit the green ground for the second time in a row. Last year, the Swiss man finished the season in July with a knee injury. Federer is currently focusing on the ATP World Tour Finals in London, which will start in mid-November.
The single panel in Paris-Bércy