Federer pulls out of season-opening ATP Cup in Australia

SYDNEY — Roger Federer has pulled out of the inaugural ATP Cup.

Organizers wrote on Twitter that Federer withdrew "due to family reasons and therefore Switzerland has been withdrawn as a country that qualified at the first entry deadline".

The ATP Cup will open the 2020 season in Australia from Jan 3-12, with two four-team groups in each of Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. The Swiss were drawn into a group with Belgium, Britain and one other nation.

Eight teams from the six-day group stage advance to the knockout rounds in Sydney.

The ATP Cup joins a crowded 2020 season. It includes two other team events — the Davis Cup and Laver Cup, which the 38-year-old Federer part-owns — and the Tokyo Olympics.

AP