Roger Federer, a 20-time major champion, had to jump almost all of 2020, as he struggled with a knee injury and was only able to play one tournament.
The 39-year-old has been working on his comeback, training in Dubai with Ivan Ljubicic and trying his best to recover in time for the Australian Open which begins on February 8.
Only, this Monday, December 28, Roger’s team announced that the Swiss will ultimately not be sufficiently ready to compete in Melbourne. Greg Rusedski, meanwhile, already believed that Roger couldn’t win the Australian Open or Roland Garros later in the new season, and that he was focusing on Wimbledon and the Olympics, which are his main goals. in 2021.
Rusedski was sure Roger can win games in Melbourne or Paris, but it would be too much for him to chase titles, as he could not endure the best five sets upon his return in February, or on clay in June. .
Following that knee injury he suffered in 2016, Roger made a comeback a year later, winning three major crowns between the 2017 and 2018 Australian Open, and increasing his tally to 20 titles. Roger turned 38 in 2019 and he was still among the best players in the world, winning four ATP titles and securing his 28th Masters 1000 crown in Miami.
The Swiss lost two match points in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, but he did enough to end the year in the Top 3 behind his two main opponents.
Federer kicked off his 2020 campaign in Melbourne, beating John Millman while he was on the verge of defeat in the third round, then fending off seven match points against Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals.
With little left in the tank, Federer got off to a great start to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals before losing in straight sets, ending his last official game of the season to undergo knee surgery in February.
Roger Federer is working on his comeback after a tough 2020 season
“Roger is spending more and more time on the practice court, increasing his training pace. I’m curious to see how much he can push in the coming months.
I think he has another year left in his legs, maybe two, but not more than that. So Wimbledon and the Olympics should be his main targets in 2021. I can’t see him winning the Australian Open or Roland Garros; these demands will be too important for him.
He can play well in both Majors but cannot win the title, “said Greg Rusedski, before Federer’s withdrawal from the Australian Open was announced. After his surgery in February, Roger needed a another procedure in May because he still could not ease the pain.
He finally decided to miss the rest of the season and get everything ready for a new start in 2021. The Swiss failed to recover in time for the Australian Open, so he will focus on Wimbledon, the Games Olympics and the US Open which are the main targets in the season ahead. He’s always keen to get back to his best the year he turns 40.
