Latin American Exhibition Tour 2019

Roger Federer ‘emotionally wasted’ after rioting in Bogota during tour

Reuters | theguardian.com  
Mon 16 Dec 2019

• Federer broke down in tears after match called off in Colombia
• ‘I had a bit of a breakdown. It wasn’t going to be a dream match’


 
Roger Federer and Germany’s Alexander Zverev during a press conference in Bogota last month.
Photograph: Luisa González/Reuters


Roger Federer admits he broke down with emotion during last month’s tour of Mexico and South America after rioting in Bogota forced him to cancel his exhibition match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

The 38-year-old’s five-country tour is covered in broadcaster ESPN’s documentary Roger Federer: Everywhere is Home, which will air on 17 December.

It charts the 20-times grand slam champion’s journey, including the history-making match in Mexico City’s bullring when 42,517 delirious fans watched him take on Zverev – a record crowd for a tennis match.

One of the most memorable segments of the documentary comes in Bogota when demonstrations and riots led to a curfew in Colombia’s capital shortly before Federer and Zverev were supposed to start their match.

With a huge crowd already present, Federer reluctantly decided the situation was not safe. Footage shows Federer walking back to his locker room where he broke down in tears and was hugged by Zverev.

“We went to warm up and were having a blast on the court, but then everything started to get a bit crazy,” Federer said. “I was thinking is this the best scenario? People need to get home and be safe and this was 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. When I came back [to the locker room] I was emotionally wasted.“

Throughout Federer’s illustrious career, visits to South America have been rare with few big tournaments held there. His tour took in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico.

Roger to return to Bogota in 2020 with Sasha

EN24 News    - December 21, 2019

According to IMLA, the company responsible for organizing the match between Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev in Bogota, both players will return to the capital on


to play the pending game. This new duel will take place in the Movistar Arena in Bogota, at 6:00 p.m..

Originally, the meeting between Federer and Zverev was planned for November 22, 2019, however, it was canceled due to the curfew that was ordered for the entire city that night.

“From the first minute in which the cancellation of the meeting was announced, a constant conversation arose between Roger and his team of representatives on how this situation could be resolved. Roger was very eager to play this game in Bogota for the spectacular memories of his visit to the city in 2012. In the talk he left the clear intention that Roger would return to Colombia to play in front of his great fanatic, ”said Manuel Mate, IMLA manager of Colombia.

What will happen to the 2019 tickets?
As IMLA confirmed, people who bought their ticket for the Federer Vs Zverev meeting, on November 22, 2019, will have the benefit of attending the new event at no additional cost.