RF Tennis News 2022

Exclusive interview with Roger Federer  (Translated from French)

"Giving it my all to come back is also my way of thanking my fans"

Even if he will not be returning to competition before the Summer of 2022, Roger Federer announced that he wants to come back. "For a little tour or something bigger."

By Mathieu Aeschmann - 24heures.ch  - Nov. 17, 2021



Because time flies quickly and that too many people were talking for him, Roger Federer grabbed his phone. "I should to give some news." Between a rehabilitation session and some treatment with his physio Dani Troxler, the Basel native chose the "Tribune de Genève" and "24 heures" to open his heart and his health status.  An observation emerged from these forty minutes of conversation: this forced immobilization has not slowed down that ingrained dynamism that is the strength of "RF": his optimism.

Roger Federer, the tennis world is speculating on the date of your return and a possible participation in the Australian Open. What about it?

The truth is that I would be incredibly surprised to play Wimbledon (editor's note: in July); in other words, Australia was never in the cards. And it's not a surprise. We knew before the operation that the nature of the intervention would require a pause of many months. So there is nothing new. I wanted to wait for the first big doctors' check-up to talk about it: it is very encouraging. I therefore started a long rehabilitation process, putting all my heart into it. But that's the way it is, the situation has nothing to do with the one of 2016. You have to be patient to give my knee time to recover at 100%.

The general notion is that a meniscus is treated quickly; we remember Zurbriggen, Baresi, your left knee. Why is it so long this time?

Examinations after the grass season revealed a new lesion to my right internal meniscus. It was therefore decided to suture it, which implies a certain period of immobilization; so the doctors took the opportunity to treat my cartilage as well. However, the combination of these two interventions requires patience and caution. That's why I couldn't put my weight down when I was moving with crutches. This operation, I was going to have to do it anyway for my long-term well-being. This is a restorative intervention. In this sense, it is more important than those of 2020 which aimed at relieving a discomfort that I had been dragging for a few years.

Does the difference in reaction between your right knee and the left come from the imbalance of the stance on the basic strokes?

That is my feeling, but we cannot be sure. Hitting the forehand, in open stance, and the backhand, in closed stance, with the bulk of the load on the right knee, surely played a role. I always felt that my right knee was better coordinated. I feel it in the exercises with Pierre (editor's note. Paganini), it holds more. It's the smarter, more responsive of the two. I also play right foot football. No doubt that this extra load, in strength and coordination, made him suffer more over time.

What is your estimated timeline towards a return to competition?

According to the doctors, I will be able to start running lightly again in January and slowly return to a court. (He smiles.) Well, they don't know it, but I've already played a little with the kids...    Then, the return to a training that resembles tennis, that is with side steps and complex weight transfer, will be for March or April. And then we will need to rebuild the whole physical condition specific to the complexity of tennis and the intensity of very high level. Today, I therefore estimate my return to competition for the summer of 2022. But the next four or five months will be decisive and the picture will be much clearer in the Spring.

So let's look forward to the next Summer, what will be your ambitions as a tennis player?

Before answering, I want to say that I undertook this operation to be able to ski with my children, play football or tennis with my friends in the decades to come. My first motivation was to get back in shape for my life as a man. But I wanted to tackle this demanding rehabilitation with the body and mentality of an elite athlete. Would I have been able to give so much of myself in rehabilitation two or three years after I retired? I don't know. Regarding my ambitions, we could summarize as follows: I want to go and see one last time what I am capable of as a professional tennis player. I'm fighting for that and I'm very motivated. I feel the support of my team, my family. We all wish that I be able to say goodbye in my own way and on a tennis court.



Saying goodbye on a court, is that at the heart of the project?

Yes. And if we push the reasoning, playing again in 2022 or 2023 no longer makes a big difference: 40 or 41 years, it's the same. The question is: will I manage to suffer day after day? Today, my heart says yes. So, I take things step by step. It's one more challenge, as I've faced many in my career, sometimes without the general public noticing. And even though I know for a fact that the end is near, I want to try to play a few more big matches. It won't be easy but we are going to try.

So precisely, we could separate your fans into two categories. Those who can't imagine a Roger Federer playing without winning. And those whose pleasure does not depend on your results. Do you understand that contrast?

(He thinks) I, who is also a big fan of sport, find that every athlete has to choose for himself. It is an infinitely personal decision. In absolute terms, there is no right time to leave. Just the right time for each athlete. After that, what image will people keep of me? That last set at Wimbledon last July or my Grand Slam titles and how they felt watching me play? I am counting on the second answer. For a few years now, I have been quite relaxed on this point. But I understand how the fans feel. It's actually for them that I wanted to speak today: I think they deserve to understand my moods and my hopes. You know, the simplest thing would almost be to say: it's okay, I've given a lot, received a lot. We just stop everything. But to give it my all to come back one more time is also my way of thanking them. They deserve better than the image left during this year's grass season.




Speaking of grass, you still reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a torn meniscus. Is that an encouraging observation in your situation?

I felt right from Halle, against Felix Auger-Aliassime, that my Wimbledon was not going to be the one I was hoping for. Even without yet knowing the nature of the lesion, I knew I was going to be limited. But when you put everything on a tournament - probably as was the case for Rafa at Roland Garros - it's normal to put problems aside and give everything. And then you always hope for a miracle. There is always a small chance... What would have happened if I had won the tie-break of the second set against Hurkacz? When you are diminished, you cling to everything you can: your past victories, your knowledge of grass. But with a little hindsight, I realized that I had won almost no points at Wimbledon following a good defense. Or when you get to the end of a run and you know it's jamming, it becomes complicated; especially against the bests. Having said that, this hampered Wimbledon confirmed that I still knew how to adapt and play at a high level despite a handicap. And then considering all the work we put in to get there, we had to try it.



We're talking about Wimbledon, the flagship tournament of your career. You tell us that you are not sure that you will play there in 2022. Do we still have the right to imagine Roger Federer shining at Church Road?

If I am going all out with my rehabilitation, it means that there is a chance that I will come back. If I successively pile up strengthening, cycling, swimming pool, balance exercises, if I worked my upper body while I was on crutches, it's because I believe in it. After that, will I come back for a little tour or for something bigger? No one knows, neither the doctors nor myself. But I'm fighting for it. Let's be clear, my life is not going to fall apart if I don't play a Grand Slam final again. But it would be the ultimate dream to get there one more time. And in fact, I still believe in it. I believe in these kinds of miracles. I have experienced some. Sport history record some sometimes. I am realistic though: it would be a huge miracle. But in sport, miracles do happen.