Roger Federer ‘doing the right thing’ as he plots 2022 comeback

Roger Federer to miss US Open and undergo knee surgery

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Roger Federer has been praised for his approach to returning to action after undergoing a third knee operation during the summer. The 40-year-old is in the twilight of his career, but last month claimed he is eyeing a comeback in mid-2022.

Federer’s last match took place in July when Pole Hubert Hurkacz defeated him 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 in the Wimbledon last eight.

It was the first time he had lost a set to love at SW19 and prompted suggestions that it may have been his final appearance.

He has been working on his recovery over the past several months, though, and is taking his time to play competitively again.

Mark Philippoussis, the Australian who Federer beat in the 2003 Wimbledon final for his first Grand Slam, believes he’s ‘doing the right thing’ by not rushing a return to the court.

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He told Reuters: “This is the first time he’s struggled with injuries and had surgeries, and that’s a different story, especially with the knees. But he’s doing the right thing; he can’t rush this. Can he come back?

“The biggest thing for me was watching him at the French Open where there were no crowds. He’s playing five sets, he’s fighting, he’s pumping his fists.

“That shows how much he loves the game. The passion he still has for the game is incredible.”

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After a straight-set defeat to Hurkacz in his last match in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, Federer admitted he didn’t know if he would play at SW19 again.

But the Swiss icon insisted he would reflect on his shortcomings and take action to become ‘more competitive’ upon his return to action.

“I don’t know, I really don’t know. I’ve got to regroup. My goal for the last year and more was to play another Wimbledon,” Federer explained.

“My initial goal was to play last year, [but] that was never going to happen, plus the pandemic hit. I was able to make it this year, which I’m really happy about.

“Like I say, for everything that comes after Wimbledon, we were always going to sit down and talk about it because clearly now Wimbledon is over, I’ve got to take a few days.

“Obviously, we’re going to speak a bit tonight depending on how I feel and the next couple of days as well, then we go from there to see what I have to do to get into better shape so I can be more competitive.

“I’m actually very happy I made it as far as I did here and was able to play Wimbledon at the level that I did after everything I went through.

“Of course, I would like to play it again, but at my age, you never know what’s around the corner.”

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