No. 2 professional tennis player Roger Federer announced on Monday that he will not be competing in this year's Davis Cup.
According to the 33-year-old athlete, he felt relieved after finally deciding that he will not join the upcoming professional tennis tournament, the Associated Press reported. Federer made the announcement while at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
"It wasn't a difficult decision," he said according to AP. "I have played for so long, and I think by winning it I can finally do whatever I please, to be quite honest."
Federer represented Switzerland in last year's Davis Cup along with teammates Marco Chiudinelli, Michael Lammer and 2014 Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka.
Team Switzerland won the 2014 Davis Cup after beating France 3-1. Federer pointed out that his commitment to last year's tournament was for his teammates.
"I totally did it for the boys more than for me, to be quite honest," he told the press. "I just really wanted Michael and Marco and Stan to get it because they deserve it. So for me, this year, it was very clear that I was not going to play."
Federer's decision to exempt himself from the 2015 Davis Cup means that he may not be able to join the Swiss team for the 2016 Olympic Games which will be held in Rio de Janeiro. He will only be able to do so if he participates in next year's Davis Cup or if he is given a wild card entry in the Olympics.
As for this year's Davis Cup, it is still not clear who will be featured in the Swiss team's lineup. Wawrinka has not yet released an official statement about the tournament. Federer said that he would like to see the former Australian Open champion represent Switzerland once more.
The first round of matches for the 2015 Davis Cup will begin on March 6 with Switzerland facing off against Belgium.
