STARNBERG, December 23, 2019

Roger Federer has admitted suffering “a bit of a breakdown” after what he considered a dream match got called off during November’s tour of Mexico and South America.

The Swiss star was set to play an exhibition match against Alexander Zverev in Bogota, Colombia, when the government announced a curfew as a result of major rioting. There was already a large crowd gathered to watch the duel between the two talents but Federer called the game off after taking everything into consideration and then deciding that the situation wasn’t safe enough for them to go on.

Federer would break down into tears while in his locker room and video footage from a documentary set to air this month shows him being comforted by Zverev.

He later got on Twitter to extend a heartfelt message to the people of Bogota, also vowing to return and give the fans the match he feels they deserve.

“We went to warm up and were having a blast on the court, but then everything started to get a bit crazy,” he explained, via Eurosport.

“I was thinking is this the best scenario? Because people need to get home and be safe and this was honestly when I knew we shouldn’t play, it was too much stress and pressure for everybody.

“I had a bit of a breakdown. It was not going to be the dream match it was supposed to have been and I could feel it all falling apart at the end. When I came back (to the locker room) I was emotionally wasted.”

Federer hasn’t had many opportunities to play in South America as major tournaments held therein have been few and far between, but the most recent tour saw him touch down in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico.

“It was an unbelievable and amazing trip, each step along the way as the fans expressed their love of the sport and appreciation for the experience,” he declared. “There were so many highlights, it was truly a magical adventure and a blast as well.”

The 20-time Grand Slam winner is likely looking ahead to the Australian Open, which kicks off next year. He’s currently 10/1 to win the tournament with Bet365 and fans who want to place bets on the tournament but are new to betting could find the best betting offers for new customers here at the bookies offers.

Novak Djokovic remains the favourite to come out on top at the end of the prestigious competition. The Serbian is 13/8 to win, with Rafael Nadal in behind at 7/2. Danil Medvedev is

9/1 with Skybet, who are offering 10/1 on Stefanos Tsitsipas and Price Boost odds of 11/1 on the Greek youngster.

Ladbrokes have 12/1 going on Dominic Thiem, while Zverev is 20/1 with William Hill and Andy Murray is 25/1 with Betfair.

It’s going to be quite the challenge for Federer, who is still impressive at 38 but clearly on the decline, as insignificant as that may seem. A big 2020 is definitely not out of the question for the current World No.3 as he remains one of the very best in the world. But we’ll have to just wait and see