Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

With his status and seniority in the sport, Roger Federer is taking full advantage of every ATP perk on offer to experienced players, luxuriating in the privilege of being able to make a more flexible schedule without paying the price through any penalties.

As such, the world No. 2 who turns 34 on Saturday, is skipping next week’s Montreal Masters in order to prepare with more calm for the US Open. He is due to play the Cincinnati Masters as his only tune-up for the final grand slam event of the season which begins August 31.

Federer is happy to be getting a calendar break after more than a decade of near-domination at the elite end of the game. But skipping tournament without planning or logic is not something the 17-time grand slam winner takes lightly. Every decision must have a reason.

“Probably because I’m from Switzerland and not from Australia, or America, South America, it’s harder for me to (skip events) because it’s just too easy to travel here – it’s an advantage to be European, for the tour, to be quite honest.”

But he knows it’s not so simple for other nationalities: “Preferably if you are a player on the tour and you could have potentially two bases, somewhere where you practice in the States and somewhere else in Europe, or wherever you set it up.

“I think  that’s also helpful for longevity on the tour, to keep yourself happy. So for me to be based in Switzerland has always worked very well. I prefer to just make sure that I always have enough time during certain spells of the season for resting and healing the body,” said the father of four.

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.