Roger Federerwho has been out of the circuit since July 2021 due to problems with his right knee, is confident that he can reappear “at the end of the European summer” (September), so he would not be in a position to perform at Wimbledon, the contest that he dominated like no one else in history.
“I’m doing well, much better. For two months I moved on crutches. It was long and I had to start from scratch. But the operation was the right thing. The knee was not going well after Wimbledon [cayó en los cuartos de final]”, explained the 20-time Grand Slam champion on the Swiss public broadcaster SRF during his visit to a stage of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Lenzerheide.
Federer, who will turn 41 in August this year, specified that a few weeks ago underwent MRI and that the results were positive, something that gives him “confidence” regarding his future on tour, although he doesn’t want to rush or take false steps. “Now I am slowly reaching a phase where I can think about coming back,” said the former world number one and current 27th, adding that he still needs a little time before reappearing “at the end of the summer or the beginning of the (European) autumn. ”.
The tennis legend, winner of 103 titles, has not acted since his defeat by 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) and 6-0, in 1h48m, in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, on July 7, 2021 , against the Pole Hubert Hurkacz. Since then he has undergone two surgeries on his right knee, where he had already undergone surgery in 2020.
Federer’s intention is to contest the Laver Cup, contest of which he is co-organizer. In this year’s edition, which will be held in London, of the September 23 to 25the Spanish Rafael Nadal (who won his twenty-first Grand Slam title when crowned in Australia, beating Federer and Serbian Novak Djokovic by one) said he hopes to play alongside the Swiss as they did in 2017.
In the past week, Severin Lüthifriend and coach of Federer, had made a kind of update on Roger’s status, saying that the Swiss had planned to start hitting the ball these days and that his first “sparring” would be Mirka Vavrinec, his wife and former tennis player (he was 76th in the world in 2001).
“He is still in the rehabilitation phase (…) He can always do more, he is actively working. Not only are the knee or leg muscles strengthened, but the entire body is strengthened. It’s a real conditioning program”, Lüthi pointed out about a situation practically unprecedented in Federer’s career. The man who remained for 310 weeks at the top of the ranking built his story almost without injuries, but in this last stage of his sporting life the obstacles multiplied. The racket world anxiously awaits his last dance on tour.
