Sydney tennis fans hoping to see Roger Federer at the inaugural ATP Cup are likely to get Baby Fed instead.

Resurgent former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov is in line to earn Bulgaria a slot in Pool C alongside Belgium and Andy Murray’s Great Britain for the January 3-12 event.

The country with the highest-ranked player as of November 13 that hasn’t already qualified for the new $22 million, 24-team event will secure a spot in the draw.

Dimitrov’s late-season renaissance, after he’d slumped to No.78 in the world in August, has put Bulgaria right in the frame.

Dubbed Baby Fed for his uncannily similar playing style to the 20-time grand slam champion, Dimitrov dumped Federer from the US Open quarter-finals to kick-start his revival from his lowest rankings position since May 2012.

The 2017 Australian Open semi-finalist and season-ending champion has risen back to 27th in the standings and is projected to climb up to 24th next week after storming into the Paris Masters last eight with a 6-3 6-2 dispatch of fifth seed Dominic Thiem.

Twenty years after meeting his wife at the Sydney Olympics, Federer was to have been the major drawcard for 2020’s season-opening showpiece from January 3-12.

Federer announced on Wednesday he was “regretfully” opting out of the ATP Cup for family reasons.

“When I entered the event last month, it was a really difficult decision because it meant less time at home with the family and a fully intense start to the season,” said the 38-year-old father of four.

“After much discussion with both my family and my team about the year ahead, I have decided that the extra two weeks at home will be beneficial for both my family and my tennis.”