Roger Federer has suffered a lot in the past two seasons, due to a serious injury to his right knee. The Swiss champion attempted a timid comeback in 2021, without ever finding a good condition. Suffice it to say, the King only played 13 official games last year, recording nine wins and four losses.

A not impossible draw allowed him to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where he surrendered rather curtly to Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole took away the satisfaction of handing him a bagel in the third set, further proof of Roger’s current struggles.

A few weeks later, the 20-time Grand Slam champion announced that he had suffered a relapse in his knee and was due to undergo surgery for the third time in 18 months. The 40-year-old from Basel hopes to return in late summer or early fall, possibly for the Laver Cup.

His participation in the Championships is unlikely, as confirmed by his long-time coach Severin Luthi. In a lengthy interview with Tennis Deutschland, Christopher Clarey – a well-known New York Times correspondent – focused on Federer’s prospects.

Clarey opens up on Roger Federer

“Roger Federer is an optimist, has positive energy, young children. He definitely has two goals: one, to get his knee fixed so that he can later have a normal life with his children. That’s a big motivation.” , Clarey said.

He believes the Swiss is used to discussing retirement, as these questions have been circulating for a long time. “And second…well, people have been asking Roger since 2009 when he won the French Open when he was going to retire.

He is immune to it. His models are people like Laver, Rosewall or Agassi. I don’t think he likes coming back just for the Laver Cup. Maybe he will, but I don’t think that’s what he wants,” he said. “At the end of the day, he’s someone who likes to play tennis, who likes to feel the ball on the racquet.

And he likes competition.” Clarey also revealed that the Swiss is not bothered when he is in his country as the fans there appreciate his privacy. “But of course he needs his private time to find his strengths.

In Switzerland, people accept it too. If he lived in Argentina or Italy, it would be more difficult. His manager Tony Godsick once told me: When Roger walks around Zurich, he’s hardly bothered. And if so, not by Swiss, but by tourists. I also met him two or three times in Switzerland, so it was the same,” Clarey said.