Roger Federer: 'I can't wait to get back after a tough year'

Speaking for Tennis Talk podcast, the 20-time Major champion Roger Federer described the following year as a tough one, feeling eager to get back stronger in 2021. Roger also said he couldn't wait to try his new Wilson Pro Staff RF97 v13 next week, returning to the practice court and starting preparations ahead of the new season. Federer will not fight for the trophies in the rest of 2020, undergoing two knee surgeries and working on a comeback for January next year. Spending the last couple of months at home with his family, Roger is back to business, training with his physio Pierre Paganini and planning to hit the court again in October. After getting back into shape, Federer will make an early schedule with his team, not the strict one, as he wants to have all the options covered. The Swiss hopes to perform a similar comeback like in 2017, missing the second part of the 2016 season due to knee problems.

Determined to get back where he belongs, Federer claimed three out of five Majors between Australian Open events 2017-18, adding more trophies to his Major tally that hadn't been changed since 2012, becoming world no. 1 again in February 2018. The Swiss maestro challenged Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the top in the previous three years, reaching the latter stages of the most notable tournaments and leaving younger opponents behind him. In 2019, Federer won four ATP titles, including the Masters 1000 crown in Miami over John Isner. At his beloved Wimbledon, Roger squandered two match points in the title match against Novak Djokovic, gaining enough points to finish the season in the top-3 at 38. Federer didn't play the ATP Cup for Switzerland at the beginning of 2020, taking more time on the practice court ahead of Melbourne, where he reached the semis after a rollercoaster ride.

Roger Federer will return to the court in January 2021.

In the Australian Open third round, he trailed 8-4 in the deciding tie break against John Millman, rattling off six straight points and avoiding an early exit. In the quarters, Federer struggled with a groin injury, faced seven match points against Tennys Sandgren in the fourth set and fended them off to prevail in the decider! In the semis, Novak Djokovic proved to be too strong, beating Roger in straight sets in what has been the last official match for the Swiss. After the record-breaking Cape Town encounter with Rafael Nadal, Roger announced a knee surgery instead of traveling to Dubai, planning to return in June for Halle and Wimbledon.

The coronavirus pandemic had halted the tennis action in March, offering an excellent chance for the Swiss to continue from the same position as his rivals once the season would start again. Despite the surgery, Roger failed to eliminate the pain that bothered him enough to undergo another surgery in May, deciding to skip the rest of the season and get ready for 2021. Despite turning 39 in August, Federer is still eager to fight for notable titles in the next year or two, hoping to extend his career and offer fans more of his magic.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3igb9c3