Roger Federer is now 40 years old and has not played since August last year, undergoing knee surgery and announcing he would be out for many months.
He has already missed the Australian Open and will not play Roland Garros; it is unlikely that he will return for Wimbledon and the US Open.
At his age, it’s hard to see a comeback from the man considered the best in history, but his class and intelligence on the court will probably give us a couple more years of the Swiss. But knowing Roger, if he doesn’t have a good feeling in the first matches, he could announce his retirement immediately.
We are just days away from Roland Garros, and without Federer, there are more chances to take the crown away from Djokovic, so it’s a good idea to go to bookmaker rating za where the best betting sites are.
Signs of decline?
In 2021 at the Halle Open, Roger suffered a defeat he may not have imagined, losing to Felix Auger Aliassime in the second round. But what made this defeat surprising was that the Canadian was 20 years old.
This was the biggest age difference in Federer’s career, and this defeat signified his earliest exit from a tournament in his tennis life. Perhaps a first wake-up call for the Basel native.
If there is one thing Federer knows how to do, it is to get up, and at Wimbledon that year he reached the quarter-finals, becoming the oldest player to do so. His goal was to win it, but he lost again, this time to Hubert Hurkacz.
Falling in the quarter-finals is not bad; what was bad was the way he lost. The Pole beat him in straight sets; never in his Wimbledon career had he lost in straight sets. Another sign that maybe times were changing for Roger.
Besides one of those sets, he lost 6-0; never in 19 years had anyone managed to do that. You would have to go back to 2008 to find a set that bad from the Swiss tennis player.
Problem solved
The problem wasn’t his game; his vision and his way of understanding his opponents are intact; in fact, I think he gets better with time. He runs less and tries less hard, which is why he is still playing at a spectacular level at the age of 40.
But his physique is no longer the same, and his knee was affecting him a lot. He couldn’t reach balls that he normally hit without any problems; it was more difficult for him to control the game. He understood that and decided to have surgery.
The problem is that at this age, recovery can take a long time. Many specialists said it might be Federer’s retirement. But the Swiss declared that he would come back, but that it would take time.
A few weeks ago, his agent declared that he is registered for the Swiss Indoors in October. But he might consider playing in the Laver Cup in September alongside Rafa Nadal.
It is clear to us that Federer still has a lot of desire and a competitive spirit. Surely, in October, he will start to get into a rhythm at the tournament in his home country that he has won 10 times. That will be a good benchmark and perhaps give us a glimpse of what 2023 might be like for Roger’s tennis.
At 40, will he be able to win another Grand Slam? Will he extend his lead at Wimbledon, where he is the top winner? He has already said he would like to play it again and, why not, win it.
At his age, he has the tennis that is needed, but the physique? It remains to be seen.