Roger Federer: 'I'm working hard to return as soon as possible'

At 39, Roger Federer is still eager to compete on a high level and fight for notable trophies. The coronavirus pandemic had turned the tennis season upside down, like pretty much the entire world, with no action between March and August and a much different calendar from what we are used to having. The reduced 2020 season saw three Majors and three Masters 1000 events, with the crowd favorite Roger Federer playing only the first of those in Melbourne in January. The 20-time Major champion has experienced the shortest season of his entire career, playing only the Australian Open and undergoing two knee surgeries in February and May. Spending time at home with his family, Roger had to start all over when he recovered from the second surgery, hitting the gym and working on his fitness, feeling no pain in his knee. Some ten days ago, the Swiss returned to the tennis court, embracing short practice runs and increasing the pace of his training for notable weekly improvements.

Eager to make a return in January 2021, Federer has been working hard on his game, looking determined to make another push in the season when he turns 40. Roger claimed four ATP titles in 2019 to finish inside the top-3 behind Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, battling hard against John Millman and Tennys Sandgren to reach the semi-final in Melbourne this January. Struggling with a groin injury, Federer had to save seven match points against Sandgren in the quarter-final's fourth set, prevailing in the decider but losing almost all the energy!

Roger Federer will make a return in January 2021.

In the semis, Novak Djokovic defeated Roger in straight sets, which has been the final official match of the season for the Basel native. After the record-breaking Cape Town encounter with Rafael Nadal, Federer underwent knee surgery in February, planning to return in June for Halle and Wimbledon on his beloved grass. Roger failed to lessen the pain and underwent another surgery in May, staying away for the rest of the season and getting ready for 2021. Thanks to his points from 2019 and that Australian Open semi-final, Federer is ranked in the top-4, taking a favorable starting position ahead of his first challenges in a couple of months.

"I'm very well; I am healthy and accompanied by my family in this long year. It has been a long process, a great experience where I feel that I'm improving little by little. Perhaps I do not feel the improvement every day, but I do from week to week. If I look back, I find a significant evolution. Last week, I returned to the court and enjoyed it a lot, something I had not done since February. I'm working hard to return as soon as possible," Roger Federer said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/31ZO9c2