Old question, fired up again: How long, Roger Federer?
Roger Federer surprised on Thursday morning with an unexpected injury timeout. It is striking that the 38-year-old has been plagued by more and more zippers in recent years. How long can he keep playing?
by Jörg Allmeroth
last edit: Feb 21, 2020, 12:34 pm
Roger Federer still smiles down at passers-by and motorists on the large billboards all over Dubai. Just as if nothing had happened. But the tennis giant will not be involved in the title fight in the metropolis on the Gulf next week, and you won't see the biggest of all industry stars in one of the Center Courts in the next four months either.
Federer is injured, he has undergone an arthroscopic surgery on his knee - and there is the question on the table of how the career of the now 38-year-old veteran actually continues. The Swiss himself initially sprayed the usual optimism. At the end of his sudden Internet message on Thursday, he called out to his fans: "We'll see you on grass." In June, Federer routinely planned his start in Halle before Wimbledon, at the ATP 500 competition , at the 28th Noventi Open - his hope is green. Now even more than usual.
Federer: Injury problems are increasing
However, the latest physical problems also draw attention to the approaching farewell of the player, who has attracted attention and headlines to his sport in modern times like no other. Federer has become the most formative face of tennis, even in non-tennis circles the man from Switzerland is a household name, a brand, one whose initials RF now speak for themselves. But tennis has to get used to the fact that the 20-time Grand Slam winner and long-standing world leader is now actually on the last few meters of his amazing career.
Federer's injury problems have accumulated in recent years, despite the professionalism, work efficiency and training intensity that Federer shows. Four years ago, Federer had to take a six-month break after a meniscus injury at the start of the year after Wimbledon. In 2017 he made a dream comeback, won the title at the Australian Open, it was a Hollywood-ready number, as Federer himself said. But he also said to all those who believed in exceptional moments of victory from time to time: "Fairy tales do not repeat themselves arbitrarily."
Further, always further?
Federer had played a lot of tennis lately, even after the end of the 2019 season he went on an exhibition tour to South America. At the Grand Slam appearances before he was troubled by all sorts of zippers, mostly back pain. At the Australian Open a moment ago, he not only fought stubborn competition, but also against his own body. Before he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, he gave himself - visibly stricken - only a "three percent chance of winning." To the recurring, notorious question "How much longer", the father of four usually answered with the defiant remark: " I work as if it goes on. “On, on and on? It is not like that anymore. Because recently Federer also said: "The thought of resigning is very real."
Federer: World ranking doesn't matter, it's about titles
Federer had loaded an ambitious tournament program for 2020, he wanted to play all Grand Slam tournaments. And he also wanted to travel to Tokyo in the summer, for his fifth participation in the Olympic Games - with the aim of maybe winning individual gold. So far, the Maestro has also adhered to its plans, all provided that there are no complications in its comeback or regeneration. Federer will fall behind in the world rankings, but whether he is in 3rd place, 8th place or outside the top ten is not particularly important. It is important, he emphasized again and again, “that I have the feeling that I can win against every player out there. And that I can get titles. "
So far, Federer was still able to determine from this self-survey: Yes, I can. In 2019 he won four titles, secured his 100th career victory in Dubai, and then collected the trophies in Miami, Halle and Basel. At Wimbledon, he had two match balls against Novak Djokovic, for the ninth record title. The struggle of the young savages against the establishment will now focus on other names, on Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as actors to be beaten. Federer will appear in the bill as a major unknown in spring. Not least for yourself.