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Roger Federer has dropped out of the ATP Cup in January, meaning there will be no showdown with Andy Murray .
The 38-year-old, currently ranked three in the world, had committed to playing the inaugural tournament in Australia at the start of 2020, but has opted out in order to spend more time with his family.
The team competition sees 24 countries compete against each other – initially in a round-robin group stage – and Federer’s Switzerland side were scheduled to start their campaign against Murray’s Great Britain in Sydney on January 3.
It would have been the first meeting between the two since a semi-final in Cincinnati four years ago.
But with the veteran desperate to try and win a maiden Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in August, he is keen to keep himself fresh.
Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATEDShow all 20 1 /20Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED Searching Roger Federer's name on Google reveals "about 36,500,000 results", and yet not a single one of those is dedicated to reviewing each one of his all white Nike Wimbledon kits in exacting detail. This is, quite frankly, scandalous and needs to remedied immediately. Possibly. We think.
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2001 Colour: White Verdict: Are those ... beads?! Come on Roger, you're playing on the pristine lawns of the The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, not backpacking around Goa like a poundshop version of Eyal from Love Island. A poor start. Rating: 2/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2013 Colour: White Verdict: Oh dear. Clearly aiming for classy, but with the hideous end result of looking like a cross between a chemist and somebody halfheartedly role-playing as a sexy nurse. Rating: 3/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2000 Colour: White Verdict: The hat is floppy, the sleeves are baggy and the hair needs a trim. And that's a Harry Hill collar if ever we saw one. Nope, we're not fans. Rating: 3.25/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2010 Colour: White Verdict: It's a classy colour combo, but it all looks a bit - frilly - doesn't it? Would have gone down well in the 1920s but it's not doing much for us, Clive. Rating: 4.1/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2002 Colour: White Verdict: Not too much to argue with here, that flash of blue is inoffensive if a little bland, while everything is decidedly more slim-cut than that baggy 2000 effort. Docked points for the man bun, however. Rating: 5.5/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2012 Colour: White Verdict: The ten-year turquoise anniversary effort. Wasn't worth bringing back, to be honest with you. Next. Rating: 5.5111111/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2017 Colour: White Verdict: Those naughty flashes of hot pink just about stop this effort from sliding towards the bottom of this list. Picks up some extra points for the manly new hairstyle. Federer is even receding in style. Rating: 5.999999999999/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED BONUS ENTRY: 2018 Colour: White Verdict: Okay TECHNICALLY this shouldn't be included as it's not a Nike effort, but we couldn't find any pictures of a baby-faced Federer strolling the lawns in 1999, so it makes the cut. First impressions: meh. Rating: 6/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2016 Colour: White Verdict: Exactly the same as the previous picture but with a Nike tick instead of the Uniqlo square. Picks up that all important extra 0.25 of a mark on account of the nicely cut shorts. Rating: 6.25/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2007 Colour: White Verdict: A white and gold number that aims for classy but falls just slightly the wrong side of gaudy. That gold piping is just that bit too ostentatious, isn't it? We all know you're good, mate: don't rub it in. Rating: 6.9/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2015 Colour: White Verdict: A bold year for Fed, who decided to go all Peaky Blinders on us with an inspired Grandad collar. And with an absolute Persian rug of a chest like that, why not? Rating: 6.5/10 (+0.5 for chest hair)
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2014 Colour: White Verdict: Very similar to his 2016 strip, but the subtle stripes on that polo elevate this effort to new heights. And look how high up that Nike swoosh is! Revolutionary. Rating: 7/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2005 Colour: White Verdict: This is bold. Sleek. Futuristic. Federer is a man who likes his collars and cable knits, but he proved he could also rock a round-neck with this natty little number. More of this, please. Rating: 7.2/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2003 Colour: White Verdict: We're big fans of that cycle-shirt style collar, which looks like something manufactured by Rapha. And look at those Hundertwasser-esque blobs under his arm pit! All in all a svelte, artistic design. Love it. Rating: 7.5/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2009 Colour: White Verdict: Oh yes. This is what the 2007 effort should have looked like. Subtle stripe effect. Tasteful flashes of gold. Big old sweatband for wiping the ambrosia from his brow. Decent. Rating: 8/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2004 Colour: White Verdict: Vintage cool. Nicely cut, big ol' bandanna and lots and a lot of unnecessary but very cool panels. Rating: 8.5/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2008 Colour: White Verdict: Oh yes. Yessssss. A refinement of everything that came before: the perfect size collar. The perfect amount of colour. The perfect tailored fit. Woof. Rating: 9/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2006 Colour: White Verdict: Just look at that face. More importantly: look at that jacket. This was the moment that Federer turned from well-dressed tennis star to bona fide fasion icon. This was the Federer that David Foster Wallace fell in love with. Top marks - although only good enough for the runners-up spot on our sartorial hit list. Rating: 10/10
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Every Roger Federer Nike kit at Wimbledon: RANKED and RATED 2011 Colour: White Verdict: And here it is: fashion perfection. He looks like the head boy of an impossibly expensive private school. A member of the British Diplomatic Service in the twenties. The guy that your girlfriend told you not to worry about. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the coolest any man has ever looked at Wimbledon. Bravo. Rating: 176/10
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“It is with great regret that I am withdrawing from the inaugural ATP Cup event,” said Federer on the tournament’s official website.
“When I entered the event last month, it was a really difficult decision because it meant less time at home with the family and a fully intense start to the season.
“After much discussion with both my family and my team about the year ahead, I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.
“It pains me to not be a part of the most exciting new event on the calendar. But this is the right thing to do if I want to continue to play for a longer period of time on the ATP Tour.
“I am sorry for any inconvenience or disappointment my withdrawal may cause for the fans, but I hope you can understand why I made it.
“For my Australian fans, I look forward to seeing you all at the Australian Open , fresh and ready to go.”
As a result of his withdrawal, Switzerland drop out of the tournament as they only qualified due to Federer’s ranking.
PA
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