Roger Federer: 'People think we athletes get it all by ourselves but...'

Roger Federer's last appearance dates back to 30 January 2020, right in Melbourne: semi-final against Djokovic, with the Serbian's victory in three sets. He was a bruised Federer, fresh from the comebacks against Millman (third round) and Sandgren (quarter-finals) who had drained the tank and put a strain on the physical resources of the Swiss. Moving marathons on concrete, the Australian one, which adopted King Roger. And that for the first time in 23 years he will be orphan of Roger Federer, protagonist in Melbourne of some indelible pages of tennis history. Taking part in this edition of the Australian Open would have been too big a sacrifice for the Swiss. The family comes first, the rules to prevent the spread of the infection are rightly strict. Five weeks of quarantine, away from his wife Mirka and four children, was not sustainable. Result: for the first time in the new millennium we will not be able to witness Federer's dance on Australian concrete. In fact, it all started in 1998, when Roger took part in the Australian Open Junior. In 1999 he stopped at the qualifiers, in 2000 he landed among the greats. And he never left: 21 consecutive participations. The 20-time Grand Slam champion crawls that stops, leaving a huge void.

Roger Federer’s return slipping out of the dark clouds

The Swiss ace recently shot a commercial with Mercedes Benz, in which, he states the importance of having a team. Roger Federer makes it clear, all the accomplishments he’s earned, cannot be credited to himself alone but to the entire team and support staff, he’s been blessed with.  The eight-time Wimbledon champion said: “People think we athletes or famous people get it all by ourselves but we need coaching, we need support, it’s always been a team effort. Maybe on the court, it looks like I’m doing it alone.” Closing in on 40, the 103 ATP titles winner is still very much positive of making a comeback. Although he had committed to start in Australia, the return has been pushed forward now. Roger Federer was looking forward to adding the Olympic Gold medal to his illustrated career. Given the coronavirus scare, the dream seems close to fading away. In recent news from the Rotterdam tournament director, Federer’s comeback showed great hope. But as of now, there has been no news from him. Moreover, when the Swiss maestro will be ready, he will not waste a moment in letting his fans know.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3qR1zBd