Roger Federer Says He'll Be Ready For Aussie Open

Roger Federer has revealed that he is ‘optimistic’ about being ready for the Australian Open, despite being hampered by a back injury in Doha.

Federer was looking to defend his title in his opening ATP event of 2012 but was forced to pull out of his semi-final clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after injuring his back earlier in the week.

The former world number one had looked rusty the week before in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi but he looked to be finding his form in Doha before the injury struck.

Federer did undergo treatment during his matches last week but he didn’t want to aggravate the injury further ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2012.

And while Federer has been troubled with back problems in the past he is confident that he will be ready for the beginning of the Aussie Open next week.

Speaking to ESPN Federer said: "For Australia, I'm optimistic, just because it's not very good but it isn't crazy bad.

"I have had bad backs in the past. This is definitely not very good; otherwise I would be playing. But I feel without play and the right treatment, I will get through it in the next few days."

Federer finished 2012 on a major high as he retained his ATP World Tour Finals title at the O2 in London, beating Tsonga in the final.

But he has failed to win a Grand Slam title since the Australian Open back in 2010 as Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic have dominated in the last couple of years.

But the Swiss number one has been seeded number three behind his two major rivals.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw