Roger Federer: 'It doesn’t have to be a Wimbledon victory'

Exactly one year has passed since Roger Federer's last official appearance, which dates back to the semi-final of the 2020 Australian Open against Novak Djokovic. A double surgery on his right knee forced the former world number 1 to miss the rest of the season, made even more difficult by the pandemic that hit the whole world. The new ranking system has allowed the Swiss phenomenon to remain in the Top 5 anyway, also arousing the indignation of some insiders. For the first time in the last 23 editions, King Roger has decided to give up the Australian Open, with the clear intention of preserving his physique in view of the main seasonal goals. The 39-year-old from Basel's viewfinder is already focused on Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed by twelve months due to the Coronavirus emergency. To warm up the engines and get rid of the rust, the 20-time Grand Slam champion chose the Doha ATP in the second week of March. In an interview with 'SRF', Federer admitted that he followed the sport a lot during his rehabilitation.

Roger Federer on retirement and family

Roger Federer tried to do the same in 2020 but failed. “I actually thought that I would not follow the sport very much and would be more busy with my children and my rehab.” As Federer was comfortable at home, he found himself checking the scores and learning how his peers were performing in the tournaments held in the wake of the Coronavirus lockdown. “I was surprised that I kept checking results and following matches. And normally I don’t do that at all if I don’t take part in a tournament. I want to be able to go skiing with the children and with Mirka. Or go hiking, play basketball or start ice hockey – I still have so many dreams. For that, I need a good body and I don’t want to hit it against the wall. My biggest wish is to finish my career on my terms. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t have to be a fairy-tale ending, it doesn’t have to be a Wimbledon victory, and then I’ll walk away.” For now, Federer is not retiring and has announced his return date. After almost 13 months, Federer is set to return at the ATP 250 event in Doha, Qatar on 8th March. Meanwhile, the Australian Open 2021 has run into jeopardy after a COVID-19 positive case has halted all tennis proceedings at the Melbourne Park site. Now organizers face the test of time to end all the pre-events to the Australian Open before the Grand Slam begins on February 8.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2MGT1yf