Roger Federer has been absent from the fields for exactly one year. The Swiss champion played his last match at Wimbledon 2021, clearly giving in to a wild Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. A few weeks later, the former world number 1 announced that he had to operate on his right knee for the third time in 18 months.
The last two seasons have been a real ordeal for the King, unable to play as and as much as he would have liked. Suffice it to say that the 40-year-old from Basel played just 13 official matches last year, collecting nine wins and four losses.
The Maestro was overtaken by Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam standings, while Novak Djokovic snatched the record for weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Barring further unforeseen circumstances, Roger will return to the Laver Cup.
The lavish exhibition he founded will take place at London’s O2 Arena from 23-25 September. The Swiss will also play at the Basel ATP in the autumn. Speaking to ESPN, Pam Shriver analyzed Federer’s chances of winning another Major.
Shriver talks about King Roger
“Roger Federer is giving fans a better idea of his rehab process after his knee surgery of last summer. His social media posts and quotes indicate a late-season return to competition. A big question will be: Can Roger play the best-of-five format the Majors demand in 2023, when he will be 41 years old,” Shriver said.
“Regardless of Federer’s comeback pathway, winning a 21st singles Major seems impossible given his knees, age and the effort it takes to win seven matches with a three-of-five-set format,” she added. Former World No.
1 Renna Stubbs, on the other hand, was a little more positive about the idea of Federer winning his 21st Major. “I don’t think Federer is going to play unless he feels he can be competitive, so I expect him to do just that.
It won’t be easy as he’s not getting any younger, but with his game and his experience and success, I would suspect he will do very well,” Stubbs said. “Federer doesn’t need to win another match in his GOAT career.
He is an iconic champion we have been lucky to watch for over two decades,” Shriver said. Recently, Roger Federer made an appearance at the Centre Court of Wimbledon. The Swiss maestro was present with the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to celebrate the 100th year of the famed court.
It was an emotional moment for the entire tennis fraternity, witnessing the tournament’s greatest player take center stage.
