The 20-time grand slam winner has played just 13 matches in 2021 as he recovers from a third knee surgery in the space of 18 months, with Federer’s last appearance a disappointing straight-sets loss to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at SW19 in July.
The Swiss great has now officially confirmed he will not be at Melbourne Park for the first grand slam of 2022, while it remains touch-and-go whether Federer will be back at Wimbledon this year.
“At the moment, I expect to be able to return in the summer of 2022,” he told Tribune de Geneve having confirmed playing in Australia is out of the question.
“The next four or five months are crucial. In the spring, I will already see things much more clearly. The truth is that I would be incredibly surprised if I were to play again at Wimbledon [in 2022].”
“When you get right down to it, it doesn’t make much difference whether I return in 2022 or not until 2023, at 40 or 41. It doesn’t matter. The question is rather will I manage to torture myself again day after day for my comeback?
“My heart says ‘yes’ today. So, I’m taking things step by step. I have experienced similar challenges many times in my career sometimes without the public being aware of it. Even though I know that the end is near, I want to try to play some big matches again. It won’t be easy but I will try.”
Now aged 40, Federer’s latest injury setback led to suggestions he could call time on his glittering career, though his coach Ivan Ljubicic this week said he was not contemplating such a decision.
Federer accepts he may never play in a grand slam final again and is at peace with that fact, but still “believes in these miracles” as he aims to once again compete among the elite level.
“If I do my rehabilitation intensively, there is a chance that I will get back to a high level,” he added.
“If I do strength training, go on the bike, swim, do balance exercises, work on my upper body, then I believe in it.
“Will I return to the Tour for a smaller round or for something bigger? Nobody knows, neither the doctors nor me. But I’m fighting for it. To be clear, my world will not collapse if I never play another grand slam final.
“But it is my ultimate dream to return once again. And in fact, I still believe in it. I believe in these kinds of miracles. I have already experienced them.
“Sports history sometimes writes such miracles. I am realistic – it would be a great miracle but there are miracles in sport.”
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