FEDERER: I’M NOT DONE YET
Legend insists he’s not hit a Fed end with knee surgery
ROGER FEDERER has vowed to return to tennis at the ripe old age of 40 next year after revealing he will miss the rest of this season because of more knee surgery.
The Swiss superstar, who turns 39 in August, suffered a setback in his recovery from February surgery and needed another operation.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion will now rest his right knee during the tennis shutdown with the aim of making another comeback next year.
He missed the last six months of the 2016 season – including the Olympics and the US Open – after two previous knee surgeries before returning to win the Australian Open at the age of 36.
Federer will now attempt to repeat the trick in 2021 – and further defy Father Time – as he enters his fourth decade.
He wrote on Twitter: “Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 per cent ready to play at my highest level. I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.”
Federer won his 20th Grand Slam title in Melbourne in 2018 but since then his rivals to be the greatest male player ever have closed the gap.
Rafa Nadal is now on 19 and Novak Djokovic on 17. With Wimbledon already cancelled, this injury lay-off will deny Federer the chance to add to his tally this year but his latest surgery could extend his career even further.
He has not played since losing the Australian Open semi to Djokovic in January.
He said: “A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee.”
Federer’s retirement has been predicted for years yet he refuses to set a date.
He still enjoys the competing – and the winning – and often travels with his young family to tournaments by private jet.
An Olympics singles gold medal is only prize he has never won with the Tokyo Games now delayed until next year.
His earning power is certainly not diminishing with Forbes recently naming the Swiss as the world’s highest earning sportsman with commercial deals banking him £81million every year.
In July 2018, he signed a £235m, 10-year deal with Japanese company Uniqlo.
He also plays lucrative exhibition matches with his meeting with Alex Zverev in Mexico last November setting a new tennis record of 42,217 spectators. Federer signed a four-year deal last October to play exhibitions in Hangzhou, China which would take him to the age of 42.
When asked if he will play competitively until 2023, Federer said: “Not logically but I just know that until then I can still play at a level that I enjoy making people
happy.”