Roger Federer Says He May Not Be Ready for Australian Open

Roger Federer was targeting the 2021 Australian Open as his return to competitive play following an injury-riddled 2020 season. But during his acceptance speech at the Switzerland Sports Awards last Sunday, the Swiss Maestro revealed that he may not be ready when tennis’ first major begins.

Said Federer via Swiss news outlet SRF:

“I would have hoped that I would be at 100 percent by October. But I still am not [100 percent] today. It will be tight for the Australian Open. I wish I was further along, but at the same time I’m satisfied with where I am at the moment.”

A Race Against Time

Federer has not played competitive tennis since losing in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open. Last February, the Swiss Maestro underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee which caused his withdrawal from the Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami Open tournaments plus the French Open. He was supposed to come back during the grass seasons but in June, it was revealed that he needed a second surgery on the same knee. That caused Federer to shut down his season and finish the year without a title for only the second time since 2002.

‘A race against time’: Roger Federer in doubt for Australian Open https://t.co/AC6xXqaBFa

— The Guardian (@guardian) December 14, 2020

He played in only five matches in 2020, finishing his season with a record of 5-1. In any ordinary year, he would have fallen from his no. 3 rankings at the end of 2019 to outside the Top 100 with his limited action. However, with five months wiped out from the Tour schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic, the adjusted rankings enabled him to finish 2020 as the no. 5 best player in the ATP rankings.

The Swiss Maestro has spent most of 2020 in Switzerland, trying to get himself back in game shape. But his recovery from the knee injury has taken more time than expected. The 2021 Australian Open is expected to begin three weeks later than scheduled on February 8th. Players are expected to arrive in Melbourne beginning January 15th to complete the required 14-day quarantine period. With that less than a month away, it doesn’t sound like Federer is making the trip to Australia.

 Retirement Hint?

Aside from saying that he may not compete at the upcoming Australian Open where he is a six-time winner and where he currently has the 4th best odds to win at +600 per SportsBetting.ag, Federer also dropped a hint of retirement during the said speech. According to Federer, he hopes to return in 2021 but if his career “had to end here”, it would be incredible to end it with “this award”.

“I hope that in 2021 I will return to the courts. We will see. But if my career had to end here, well it would be incredible to end it with this award.”

Roger Federer at Swiss Sports Awards 😨

(via @Lematinch) pic.twitter.com/fujLsen06s

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) December 14, 2020

The award that Federer was talking about was the Best Swiss Sportsperson in the last 70 years. Federer had won nine Swiss Sports awards prior to this year but this is the biggest of them all. The Swiss tennis legend prevailed by a huge margin against his nearest competitors, namely Swiss cross-country skier Diego Cologna and alpine ski racer Pirmin Zurbriggen. Federer got 49.1% of the votes cast while Cologna and Zurbiggen managed only 12.2% and 12%, respectively.

Best Tennis Player Ever?

Federer is one of the best tennis players ever, if not the best. He has won 20 grand slam singles titles, a record he shares with chief rival Rafael Nadal. Federer held the no. 1 ranking for a record of 310 weeks, including 237 consecutive weeks which is also another record. He has finished as the year-end no. 1 ranked tennis player five times and his total of 103 ATP titles ranks only second to the great Jimmy Conors.

Excited for what’s to come🔥#thisistennis @atptour pic.twitter.com/vFEfJVRjxj

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) December 11, 2020

It was only in 2018 when the Swiss Maestro won back-to-back Australian Open titles. After a disappointing 4th round exit in 2019, he made it to the semifinals this year.

Federer has played in 22 consecutive Australian Open tournaments and February’s edition will be incomplete without him. But that’s nothing compared to the void that will be if we have indeed seen the last of Roger Federer on the tennis court. If that’s the case indeed, it has been a fantastic run.