Roger Federer: 'After that, I suffered from back pain for a week'

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Roger Federer's career is winding down, but the Swiss phenomenon wants to give himself a last round of jousting before hanging up his racket. The former world number 1 has had to deal with a serious right knee injury, which has significantly reduced his appearances on the pitch over the past two years. Suffice it to say that the 40-year-old from Basel played just 13 official matches in 2021, totaling nine wins and four defeats. The King hit the quarterfinals at Wimbledon thanks also to a not impossible draw, but he couldn't do anything against a wild Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole has taken the pleasure out of even feeding him a bagel on Center Court. A few weeks later, Federer announced that he had suffered a knee relapse and had to undergo surgery for the third time in 18 months. In a long interview with the Swiss weekly 'Coopzeitung', Roger has practically confirmed that he will not return to play before the Laver Cup. The event will take place at the O2 Arena in London from 23 to 25 September.

King Roger on his recovery

"I knew [my knee surgery and recovery] would be a long process but the operation was necessary, I couldn't have played like this after Wimbledon. Now I hope to be able to get back into the Laver Cup in September," Roger Federer said. Although the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he wanted to go golfing as well, he was worried that it might be too hard on his back. "When I recover, I'll go skiing, of course. Maybe I'll go golfing again, that wasn't possible in the last few years. Not now with my knee anyway, and as is well known, I used to suffer from back problems," Federer said. "Once I went to a round of golf with my mother for her 60th birthday and I really wanted to play along. After that, I suffered from back pain for a week. So I let it go from there. If I start golfing, I won't do it alone, but together with Mirka." Andy Murray is one of the most decorated tennis players on the circuit right now. Another player with injury issues in recent past, 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer has been absent for nearly a year from competitive action. “It’s always difficult to know when the end is. Obviously, people have been talking about it for many years. The next generation have come through, [but] the same guys are still winning the Grand Slams and I’d love to see Roger back competing again. I don’t know his situation, but I believe he will get back to competing. I don’t know how long for, but I really hope we can play another tournament together. It’s been a long time,” he concluded.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/XwzrPbx

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