Roger Federer withdraws from Dubai Open to focus on training following his comeback after 14 months due to knee surgery

It's been gathered that the 20-time Grand Slam winner has made the decision to withdraw from next week's Dubai Open to return to training.

Roger's comeback after 14 months out with a knee injury ended in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open after he was beaten by Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Federer, 39, defeated British No 1 Dan Evans in the first round in Doha but lost to Basilashvili the following day. The world No 42 defeated a weary-looking Federer 3-6 6-1 7-5 after saving a match point.

After the tournament, Federer tweeted his decision to pull out of his second comeback tournament following a year working his way back to full fitness after two rounds of knee surgery.

He wrote: 'It's been great to be back on the @atptour, loved every minute playing in Doha once again.

'A big thank you to the best and loyal team that helped me get there. I've decided it's best to go back to training and as a result, I've decided to withdraw from Dubai next week.'