WORLD NUMBER TWO Roger Federer has pledged to return to Brazil to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Federer, who won doubles gold at Beijing in 2008 and singles silver in London this year, said he was already looking forward to a fifth Olympic appearance.
“I have to make sure that I take care of my schedule, of my body, of my mind,” the 31-year-old Swiss told reporters in Sao Paulo.
“Hopefully I can still stay on tour for many more years and hopefully play the Olympics here in three-and-a-half years or so, so I have to look far ahead and not just the next six months.
“I’m not going to play 25 tournaments, but every tournament that I will be playing I’ll be emotionally attached to it, because I either won there before or because I’ve been there many times or because I love the city or the country and the fans.
“Today I’ve reached a point in my life that I can pick and choose where I want to play and how much I want to play.”
Federer is in Brazil to host exhibition matches involving Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo, Tommy Haas and Thomaz Bellucci.
“There is a lot of passion for sports here,” he said before going down 7-5 3-6 6-4 to Brazilian Bellucci on Thursday.
“It’s a hot place to play tennis right now.”
