Roger Federer 'still has the flame burning to compete' - agent says Swiss superstar will be back playing soon
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Published 28/05/2022 at 12:18 GMT
Despite being out for almost a year now, Tony Godsick is confident that his charge, Roger Federer, will be back and competing amongst the very best soon. The Swiss star has not played since last year’s Wimbledon, and all eyes are on him as he looks to make a hotly-anticipated comeback sometime later this year.
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Roger Federer will make his return to tennis soon, says his long-time agent and business partner, Tony Godsick.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been out of tennis for almost a year.
His return date is yet to be determined, but he is setting his sights on the Laver Cup, which will take place during the last weekend of September.
“I think the Laver Cup could be, if that’s the first event that he’s back, a nice entryway back for him, because he’ll be surrounded by friends and comrades,” Godsick said to the i.
“Even if you’ve played tennis for so long like he has, coming back after a lay-off like that, it’s nice to have a little support.”
The last time Federer played was at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he was bidding for a ninth title at the tournament.
He was stunned in straight sets by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, losing 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 to the 14th seed.
"It's super special for me," said Hurkacz at the time.
"Playing here and the special things [Federer] has done here, it's a dream come true."
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Hurkacz was only six-years-old when Federer won his first title at SW19, and he became the first player to win a set to love against Federer since Rafael Nadal in the 2008 French Open final.
After the tournament, Federer underwent knee surgery and has yet to make a competitive appearance since.
The Laver Cup, which is a men’s tournament between Team Europe and Team World, is certainly not a contest to scoff at, and while “the rush of playing in the biggest stadiums in front of the biggest crowds” will be incredibly useful for his mental and physical state, it isn’t Federer’s ultimate target.
“I know Roger well enough to know that he still has the flame burning to compete,” Godsick said.
“His real motivation is to come back to compete on the ATP tour and sort of try to end his career the way he wants to end it: healthy and successful and on his terms."
Federer’s absence from the game will undoubtedly be felt at next month’s Wimbledon.
He’s played in the tournament every year since 1999 and has won an astonishing eight titles, making him the most successful men's singles player of the Open era at the oldest Grand Slam.
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