'Roger Federer doesn't want to make a number but to chase titles,' says Tim Henman

Roger Federer and Tim Henman had many exciting battles on the court before becoming friends, respecting each other a lot. The Briton can't wait to see Roger's return to the court in Doha next week, reminding everyone that the 20-time Major champion wants to seek more titles instead of only making a number. The 39-year-old hasn't competed since the last year's Australian Open, staying away from the court for 14 months and experiencing the most extended break of his notable career that has been going on since the late 90s. After skipping the recently finished Australian Open, Roger is hoping to get back at 100% in Doha, picking a smaller event with a good field where he should feel smaller pressure than at some more prominent event.

Finishing the 2019 season in the top-3, Federer reached the semis in Melbourne last year despite struggling with a knee injury that required surgeries in February and May. After the second, Roger decided to skip the rest of the season and switch focus on 2021, targeting good results at Wimbledon, the Olympic Games and the US Open. Roger returned to the practice court last October and did everything right on the comeback trail, eager to extend his career for a couple of more years and fight for the most notable titles, as always in the previous two decades.

Roger Federer will compete in Doha next week for the first time in 14 months.

Thanks to his 2019 points and the last year's Australian Open, Federer is still ranked among the world's best players, which means he doesn't have to think about the most formidable opponents in the early rounds. Once he regains the form, Federer would love to seek titles at the upcoming Majors and the Olympic Games, confident about his abilities and keep to compete at his best following a nasty injury.

"Roger's previous level is so high; he's not going to come back just to be making up the numbers. He wants to compete for the most notable titles again. That's not going to get any easier as you get close to your 40th birthday. Still, Roger works incredibly hard, I'm sure. For me, he's the most mesmerizing player we have probably ever had in our sport. Tennis is blessed with some huge sport icons: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, Serena Williams; they as big a star as you can get. We are fortunate, but they're not going to be around forever. Thus, we must enjoy them while they are still competing," Tim Henman said.

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