Federer Decided to Play less on Clay this 2009

The number two in the tennis world, the Swiss Roger Federer, decided to play on clay at least 2009, according to the schedule released yesterday on his personal website, which was not on top of the Monte Carlo tournament.

Federer plans to compete in only two tournaments on brick dust before Roland Garros, in Rome and Madrid, so it will not be in the gravel Monaco, as was the custom for four years.

In 2008, the Swiss disputed land in four tournaments (Estoril, Monte Carlo, Rome, Hamburg), before losing for the third consecutive year against Rafael Nadal in the final in Paris, only major tournament missing from his achievements.

The exnúmber one had declared that his main objective in 2009 would recapture the title at Wimbledon, where he lost to Nadal this year.

For his part, preparation for the Australia Open is intensifying, with the tournament in Doha and two competitions exhibition in Abu Dhabi and Kooyong (Melbourne) in January.

The rest of the season will remain a classic, with the eight tournaments 1000 (renamed the Masters Series) and excerpts from the Grand Slam, as well as stages of Dubai, Halle, Tokyo and Basel.

As previously announced, Federer also plans to be present at the mourning of the first round of the Davis Cup in March against the United States. At present, the Swiss champion is still on holiday "for a few days" before returning to the preparation.