Is Federer shaping up for a final farewell?
THE most that Roger Federer’s fans have seen of him lately is in his current commercial with
Robert de Niro promoting Switzerland as a tourist destination.
However, this week Federer returns to action, making what will surely be the last comeback of his career as his 40th birthday looms in August. For this much-anticipated appearance he has chosen the Geneva Open at Switzerland’s stately Eaux-Vives Club de Geneve.
Federer’s aim, by far his most realistic one, is to build towards a last serious tilt at Wimbledon this summer.
Due to two minor knee surgeries, rather than the pandemic, he has played just two events since the 2019 ATP Finals in London. His choice of Geneva has inevitably sparked discussion about whether this is the beginning of a farewell tour, in which he would like to give a nod to his own country.
One theory is that he might wish to call it a day in Basel, the October tournament in his hometown.
This is not entirely discounted by Rene Stauffer, the veteran Swiss journalist who, having known him and his family for more than 25 years and charted his whole career, can be termed as among the world’s leading authorities on Federer.
Stauffer believes it more likely that Federer could continue well beyond his 40th birthday: ‘I don’t think he has worked so hard for the last 18 months to get fit again just to play a few more tournaments and then stop,’ he says.
After a bye this week, Federer, who revealed that he has been fully vaccinated, will face either Pablo Andujar or Australian Jordan Thompson. On clay, he will hold few terrors for opponents, but on grass nobody will wish to be near him in the draw.
These are strange times for tennis and not just because its cross-border nature has meant the pandemic interfering more than with most sports. A lot of its biggest names are in their 30s and successors have yet to fully establish themselves.
A certain amount of nervousness pervades over what happens when the likes of Federer fade away.
It could be that only then will the sport be forced to confront issues like its incoherent governance and natural reluctance to innovate in a fast-changing sports marketplace.
For now, starting this week by Lake Geneva, a remote audience should enjoy Federer while it can.