Despite the approach of the quarantine, and a new surgical operation, Roger Federer expects to regain the tennis courts. The record holder of winning grand slam (20) announced, Wednesday, on the social networks, have been reoperated on the right knee, recently, and anticipate a return on the circuit to the horizon 2021.
"a few weeks ago, having known of the delay in the course of my rehabilitation initial, I had to undergo another arthroscopy fast to my right knee," wrote Federer, who will celebrate his 39 years in early August, on Twitter. "Now, as I had done before the season 2017, I plan to take the time necessary to be 100 % ready to play at my best level. The fans and the circuit will be much to miss me, but I look forward to seeing everyone again at the beginning of the season 2021, " he continued.
A winning return in 2017
Operated a first time in the same knee last February 19, the former world number one, currently no. 4, originally intended to return on the courts for the season on grass at the end of June. But the timing of the tennis world has since been rocked by the pandemic of sars coronavirus and the ATP circuit is at a standstill since the beginning of march and until the end of July at least. And the report in the summer of 2021 Tokyo Games was also delayed by a year the last great challenge of his career, the quest for olympic gold in the single, which eluded him until then.
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The Basel was silver medalist in singles in 2012 London, and sacred in doubles with Stan Wawrinka, four years earlier in Beijing. He has not participated in the Games in Rio in 2016. Prior to these two interventions in the space of a few months, Federer had already suffered a first time, the same type of operation in February 2016, but the left knee. He was then 34 years old. It was rather successful : when he was returned to the circuit early 2017, after a six-month break, he had immediately triumphed at the Australian Open, then at Wimbledon six months later.
Remains to be seen how, soon after 39 years, it will of these two operations in quick, even light, and he will be able to replicate the same kind of performance. Since the beginning of the year, Federer has played in only one tournament, the Australian Open. It has reached the last four before losing, physically diminished, in the face of Novak Djokovic, the future winner of the first round of the grand slam of the season.
