Olympics 2021: Belinda Bencic would like to play with Roger Federer
How many Olympic appearances , if any, will Roger Federer expect in Tokyo in 2021? In any case, Belinda Bencic is hoping for a joint start in the mixed doubles.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: May 21, 2020, 03:31 pm
Just recently, Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, stated analogously that there can be no further postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo: 2021 or not at all, that is obviously the Olympians' guideline. The “or not at all” would probably hit a man hardest in the tennis scene: Roger Federer. The Swiss celebrates his 40th birthday on August 1st next year, an extension of his career until the next games in 2024 in Los Angeles seems extremely unlikely.
A cancellation of Tokyo 2021 would also upset Belinda Bencic's plans: The Swiss woman, currently number eight in the WTA world rankings, would have liked to compete with Federer in the mixed Olympic competition. Bencic and Federer recently had shared experiences on the court at the Hopman Cup in early 2019 - however, the invitation tournament for women and men has fallen victim to the newly created ATP Cup since the beginning of this year.
Federer versus Nadal in mixed doubles?
"If everything goes according to plan, I would be extremely happy," Bencic said in a Swiss view of an Olympic double with Federer. If, by the way, the games are to be played, he could meet his arch-rival and buddy Rafael Nadal: The Spaniard has undertaken a triple attack - singles (in 2008 he already won gold), doubles (probably with Marc Lopez, with which he won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016) and Mixed (probably with Garbine Muguruza).
Federer himself has a gold medal in his Olympic history, won alongside Stan Wawrinka in 2008, and silver from the 2012 London Games. The 20-time major champion was unable to start in Rio de Janeiro due to an injury break. Which in retrospect was not too much of a drama, as Federer explained to the press last year on the sidelines of the US Open: The feedback from some Rio participants was rather bad, Federer said at the time. At the time, he did not want to be committed to competing in Tokyo. Whether Federer will travel to the Japanese capital in 2021 will remain an exciting question.