Tennis great Roger Federer said he won’t know for a few months whether he can make a comeback from multiple knee surgeries in the 2022 season.
“I have very important months ahead of me,” Federer said Tuesday during a conference for one of his sponsors, Credit Suisse. “I feel like I will know a whole lot more this coming April where my body is going to be like. Up until now I wasn’t really allowed to run yet, do the heavy workload with jumps and stop-and-gos. So, I hope that’s all going to start hopefully in a couple of weeks and then we will see how the body will react to that.”
The 40-year-old Swiss hasn’t played since July 7, when he lost in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. The following month, he announced he would undergo a third surgery on his right knee and would be sidelined “many months.”
Federer is the winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments, tied with Novak Djokovic for second on the all-time list behind Rafael Nadal, who won his 21st on Sunday at the Australian Open.
Inspired by Nadal’s triumphant return from foot surgery, Federer said he wants to get back on tour — once his medical team allows it.
“Of course the drive is there,” he said. “I’m really motivated to do my work that I’m allowed to do. I did it all again this morning and I’m back in the gym tomorrow.
“It’s still good times even if it’s a little bit slow because I would love to do way more but the doctors and everybody is holding me back a little bit.”
If Federer is able to enter Wimbledon, which begins June 27, he will be seeking to extend his record for most men’s singles titles. He has won the tournament eight times.
–Field Level Media