Roger Federer To Miss Switzerland’s First Round Tie At Davis Cup

Roger Federer will not be playing for Switzerland in its first round tie against Belgium at the 2015 Davis Cup. Federer, who led Switzerland to its first-ever Davis Cup trophy in 2014, has turned his back from the squad to be able to attend to his personal tournament schedule.

According to a statement released by Swiss Tennis Federation, Federer alongside Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka are not going to be present for the tie in Liège from March 6 to 8. Swiss Tennis Federation President Rene Stammbach said they would have loved to have Federer and Wawrinka play for the squad, but they also understand the pair has a timetable as far as their personal tournament calendars are concerned.

"Both have, in the last year, achieved for our country great things in the Davis Cup and have always invested heavily in the team competition," Stammbach said (rough translation based on Google Translate). "We regret that the two will not be playing, but respect their personal tournament schedule."

Switzerland's first round tie against Belgium takes place from March 6 to 8 at the Country Hall du Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium. The Swiss lead the series between both squads 4-3. Swiss captain Severin Luthi will have to announce the official team nominations by Feb. 24, or at least 10 days before the tie begins.

Meanwhile, Federer has released his tournament schedule through June 2015,ATPWorldTour.com reported. The 17-time grand slam champion will return to action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he is the defending champion, from Feb. 15 to Feb. 28. It will be Federer's first tournament after his third round exit at the Australian Open.

Below is Federer's tournament schedule until June 2015. (Date)

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (Feb. 15 to 28)

BNP Paribas Open (March 9 to 22)

Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (April 11 to 19)

Mutua Madrid Open (May 1 to 10)

Internazionali BNL d'Italia (May 11 to May 18)

French Open (May 24 to June 7)

Halle - Gary Weber Open (June 15 to 21)

Wimbledon (June 29 to July 12)

Federer said he is still wrapping the schedule for his summer and fall tournaments line up. He added he will make an announcement as soon as he had finalised it.

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