Europe 1 with AFP
modified to
12:14 p.m., November 17, 2021
Launched in a delicate rehabilitation of his right knee, Roger Federer is aiming for a return to competition in “the summer of 2022”, therefore excluding participating in the Australian Open, in an interview Wednesday with the Tribune de Genève and daily 24 hours. “The truth is that I would be incredibly surprised to play Wimbledon; in other words, Australia doesn’t even come into play,” said the Swiss tennis icon, who turned 40 in August. .
Roger Federer wants to ‘get back in shape for his life as a man’
Falling to 16th place in the ATP rankings on Monday, Federer, who has only played 13 games this year after a year’s hiatus due to a double right knee operation, “considers (his) return to competition for the summer 2022”, but “warns that the next four or five months are going to be decisive”. Caught up in pain during the grass season, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon then withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics, again undergoing two operations to “suture” his right internal meniscus then “treat (his) cartilage “.
“This operation, I was going to have to do it anyway for my long-term well-being (…) to be able to ski with my children, play football or tennis with my friends in the decades to come. My first motivation was to get back in shape for my life as a man”, explained the native of Basel.
Federer says goodbye to tennis ‘in his own way’
While Federer will only be able to “start running quietly again” in January, before starting in March-April “a training that resembles tennis”, he was very cautious about his ambitions: “I want to go see one last time what I am capable of as a professional tennis player”.
“We would all like me to be able to say goodbye in my own way and on a tennis court (…) And if we push the reasoning, playing again in 2022 or 2023 no longer makes a big difference: 40 or 41 years old, it is equal,” said the winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments.
“The question is rather: will I be able to hurt myself day after day? Today, my heart answers yes. So, I take things step by step (…) And even if I know full well the end is near, I want to try to play a few more big matches,” he added.