Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer will return to Colombia in March next year for an exhibition match against German Alexander Zverev after a meeting between the pair scheduled for last month was cancelled.
The fixture will be played on March 24 at Movistar Arena in Colombian capital Bogota, the Xinhua news agency quoted the organisers as saying.
“There was never any doubt that Roger would return, it was just a matter of when it would be,” Federer’s agent Tony Godsick said. “It was a carefully considered decision. They (Roger and Alexander) love their fans (and) the beautiful city of Bogota.”
The match, originally slated for Bogota’s Movistar arena on November 22, was called off minutes before its scheduled start amid fears of violence. Earlier, city mayor Enrique Penalosa decreed a curfew to avoid riots and looting following anti-government protests.
Recently, Federer had revealed his psychological torment he went through after an exhibition duel was cancelled. “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, whose 20 grand slam titles make him the most successful male player in history, has made only one appearance in Colombia. In 2012, he defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an exhibition duel in Bogota.