'Roger Federer is the most mesmerizing player we ever had,' says Tim Henman

The four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman is eager to see his old rival and friend Roger Federer back on the court. The 20-time Major champion will compete in Doha next week following his career's most extended break, staying away from the court since the last year's Australian Open and working on his comeback in the recent months. The 39-year-old would love to hit the form by the summer, setting eyes on Wimbledon, Tokyo Olympics and the US Open as his main targets for 2021. Roger endured the shortest season of his career in 2020, played only one tournament in Melbourne and underwent two knee surgeries in February and May. Not rushing anything, the Swiss returned to the practice court once he thought the time is right in October, increasing the training pace for significant weekly improvements.

Tim Henman praised Roger Federer ahead of his return.

Doing his best to get back at 100% by February and the Australian Open, the Swiss decided to skip the season's first Major and set his return for Doha in the second week of March. Despite turning 40 in August, Federer is still eager to return at his best and challenge the rivals from the top, wishing for another impressive comeback like the one he performed in 2017. Praising Roger's efforts, Henman said that he doesn't want to make up numbers but fight for the title again. The Briton called the Swiss the most mesmerizing player we have probably ever had in our sport!

"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/3q56Nsi