I'd be shocked if Roger Federer plays on clay, says Barry Cowan

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Sky Sports commentator and analyst Barry Cowan doesn't expect Roger Federer to play any event in the clay-court season, Roland Garros neither. The Swiss will take a decision about it after playing in Indian Wells and before the Miami Open, and he already warned that if he plays, the schedule will be a very light one.

'What Federer has shown is that he knows when to pick and choose what tournaments he enters because he doesn't want to overplay', Cowan said. 'He will identify what are the most important tournaments and then say 'what do I need to do before that to be ready?' Indian Wells will be his number one priority more so than Miami, so he will try to do the best he can to play in the desert.

I don't think he will play on the clay. I would be shocked if he plays on the clay because why does it change from this year from last year?' In 2017 Federer won Halle and Wimbledon titles after not competing for two months and a half. 'It worked last year not playing on the clay and then playing Stuttgart and Halle before Wimbledon, so I don't see him changing that, but no one could ever argue with his schedule.

He got it spot on last year apart from when he played in Toronto because that came back to bite him and he wasn't ever quite the same after that. It also cost him his chance of winning the US Open.' ALSO READ: Roger Federer: 'Winning my 10th Halle title would be unique'