'I’ve never seen Roger Federer that excited in any team event', says former No. 1

After the rumors of the last few days, Roger Federer himself sheds some light on his future. The Swiss champion spoke during the 2020 Sports Awards and, while dispelling the rumors of retirement, he dismissed the possible participation in the Australian Open. "I would like to go to Australia, but it would be a very tough situation for my knee," he said. "I don't want to hurry until I feel ready. These next three weeks will certainly help, but my priority is tournaments in the summer: Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open". Federer hasn't played an official match since January 30, when he lost in the semifinals, in Australia, against Djokovic. On February 7, he played an exhibition match with Rafael Nadal, then the stop due to the coronavirus pandemic and the physical problems that prevented him from completing the season. For the return to the field, therefore, the wait could still be quite long. Mats Wilander recently spoke about Roger Federer's future ambitions, and his likely tournament preferences. The Swede also believes Federer has a chance of winning the singles gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Wilander on Roger Federer's future

During the latest episode of the Kickserveradio podcast, Mats Wilander spoke at length about Roger Federer’s future. The 56-year-old stressed that he has never seen Federer enjoying himself while playing a team event as much as he does at the Laver Cup. "The Laver Cup to me is what is really driving Roger Federer, I’ve never seen him that excited in any team event, certainly not in Davis Cup as he was in Laver Cup," Wilander said. "Laver Cup - he knows he can play that for four or five more years," the seven-time Slam champion said. "It's only two sets, champions tiebreaker if it's one set all. He can still play doubles. Obviously he is part of the ownership of the tournament so I think he needs to stay match fit because the way he behaves during Laver Cup, I don’t think he wants to let go of that." In 2017, Federer made a comeback after he had suffered a back injury in 2016. He had skipped the 2nd half of 2016. 2017 was a revelation for Federer as he won many titles and two Grand Slams. There are some similarities between 2017 and 2021, but Federer will turn 40 next year. Age isn’t on his side, and the conditions at the 2021 Australian Open conditions will be much more humid in February.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/38qvSH8