Roger Federer: 'I feel that it makes me want to come back many more times'

All tennis fans missed Roger Federer this year. The Swiss phenomenon only played in the Australian Open in 2020, in addition to the historic performance with Rafael Nadal in South Africa which set the new spectator record for a tennis match. The former World number 1 has undergone two surgeries on his right knee to resolve an injury, deciding not to force his recovery time and to close his season early. The rehabilitation of the 20-time Grand Slam champion is progressing well, so Roger should return to the field at the 2021 Australian Open without further hitches. During his long career, the 39-year-old from Basel has visited many places, establishing a quite special bond with some of them. Responding to a question and answer session in recent days, Federer admitted that traveling to China has always been one of his favorite moments.

Federer remembers some moments in China

“I have a very good relationship to all the tennis fans in China, I really feel my popularity in that country. I always love coming back. This year, I missed it unfortunately because of two reasons. Number one because of COVID-19 but also because of the knee,” Roger Federer said. Throughout his professional tennis career, Roger Federer has had some great moments in China. He has never forgotten those moments as he listed some of them in his talk. “I go back all the way to 2002 when I qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup at the time in Shanghai at the Expo Center, I came back to open the Qizhong stadium, you know in 2004. I won the Olympic Gold in Beijing, won also the Rolex Shanghai Masters and the Tennis Masters Cup then twice in Shanghai. And then I played the Hangzhou exhibition also last year which was a lot of fun. I’ve always enjoyed coming back and I think the fans are incredibly creative… They have incredible energy and I really feel that it makes me want to come back many more times so I can’t thank the fans enough… Next year obviously. it’s the year I want to come back to China.” Federer has not played competitively since January due to injury, and he had to undergo double knee surgery this year to correct it. However, despite admitting previously retirement crossed his mind earlier this season, he is adamant that it has now been firmly ruled out as a possibility for the time-being. “I’m definitely not retiring now,” Federer said. “I trained last week, I should be on the court at the beginning of January. I am still fighting for my return, I want to be on the court, I would like to play with the legends of the game, with the best players. I feel that there is little left in me. I am doing well, it is a long process – not daily, but weekly.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3lfJz0U