The 20-time Major winner Roger Federer is still waiting to hit the court again following his third knee surgery the last summer. Instead of preparing for Roland Garros, Roger spent Saturday attending the Formula 1 weekend in Barcelona, watching the qualifications of the Spanish Grand Prix as a guest of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.
The Swiss legend is back practicing, increasing the level of his training runs and hoping for positive news from the doctors about his comeback. Roger turns 41 in August, and he is still eager to make one last push and extend his career after setbacks in the previous year and a half.
Roger has played only 19 matches since the start of 2020, struggling with a knee injury and undergoing three surgeries within a year and a half. Federer’s latest encounter came at the last year’s Wimbledon, and he experienced a third surgery soon after that to start another recovery.
Roger Federer watched the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Saturday.
Skipping the second part of the 2021 season, Roger hopes to get ready and compete again this summer or fall. Making small but steady process, Federer is back on the practice court, and he should increase the pace of his training in the upcoming months if his knee fully recovers.
Roger underwent surgeries in February and May 2020, playing only one tournament that season and returning to the court in March last year. Federer took another break after the Doha quarter-final and claimed three Roland Garros victories for positive signs.
The Swiss withdrew ahead of the Matteo Berrettini clash to save his knee for the grass swing. Federer experienced his earliest Halle exit to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round and set eyes on his beloved Wimbledon. Roger stopped the clock at the All England Club and defeated four rivals to become the oldest Wimbledon quarter-finalist in the Open era.
Still, that was all we saw from him in London last year, as he suffered a tough 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 loss to Hubert Hurkacz in an hour and 48 minutes. The Pole became the second player who bageled Roger at Majors after Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Roland Garros final.
The Swiss fought well in the second set but lost it in the tie break before fading from the court. Making too many errors and struggling with the positioning, Roger did not look good on the court in the first and third sets, still feeling pain in his knee and deciding to undergo another surgery.
Eager to return to the court, Federer will endure at least 12 months without competitive tennis, hoping to play at the Laver Cup in London in September or even earlier.
