Roger Federer - What does knee surgery mean for your future career?
After a knee operation, Roger Federer will not return on the tour until the lawn season. But what does the injury mean for the future career of the 20-time Grand Slam winner?
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 21, 2020, 11:14 am
It was a shock to all Roger Federer fans. On Thursday, the long-standing world number one announced that he had undergone an operation on his knee and, because of this, would only play again in the grass season. The tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami and Paris therefore have to do without a large draft horse.
After this announcement by the Swiss, there were speculations in many places about the consequences of the operation, and even a career end was not ruled out by some observers. Federer himself apparently does not want to know about this. "I can't wait to play again soon, we'll see you on grass!" The 38-year-old said via Instagram.
Fabulous comeback three years ago
But it is also clear that the intervention is one of the few major stumbling blocks in Federer's career. So far, the third place in the world rankings has been largely spared from injuries, only in 2016 the maestro had to end his season after the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon due to a knee injury.
What followed was an incomparable success run the following year, in which Federer won the major events in Melbourne and London, among others. The fans of what may be the best player of all time will hope for a similarly successful comeback this year - the signs are not too bad.
Federer will lose 3180 points in the world rankings, but the relapse in the ranking will be somewhat limited. Depending on the results of his competitors, the 20-time Grand Slam winner will be roughly sixth to tenth in his targeted comeback in Halle.
Olympic gold in Tokyo as a destination
In Wimbledon, this would normally lead to a somewhat difficult draw, due to the so-called turf form, in which the turf results from the past two years are used in addition to the world rankings for the seed list, Federer in southwestern London may even have a top four Speculate settlement.
But not only the classic lawn in England, but also the Olympic Games in Tokyo are a special motivation for Federer . In detail, the 38-year-old is still waiting for a gold medal - the competitions in Japan will in all likelihood be the last opportunity for the seemingly tireless Swiss to repair this "flaw".
So there are still some highlights waiting for Federer this year. Despite the bitter setback, the third in the world ranking seems more than willing to add further milestones to his career. And it would not be surprising if this would continue to be the case after the 2020 season.