Roger Federer’s return is fast approaching. The former world number 1 will take part in the Laver Cup, the exhibition he founded, which will take place at the O2 Arena in London from 23 to 25 September. The Swiss phenomenon will close his very short season at the ATP in Basel, back on the calendar after the last two editions had been canceled due to the pandemic.
A severe knee injury has severely limited the King in the past two seasons, preventing him from playing as and as much as he would have liked. Suffice it to say that the 40-year-old from Basel played just 13 official matches in 2021, collecting nine wins and four losses.
The round of 16 at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon were his best seasonal results, too modest tally for a legend of his caliber. According to his statements, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is expected to play some tournaments again in 2023.
In a recent interview with ‘Spiegel Online’, Patrick Mouratoglou – Simona Halep’s coach – had wonderful words for Federer.
Mouratoglou praises King Roger
“Roger Federer is a genius. He plays perfect tennis.
I do not remember I ever saw a player playing tennis that way. And I think I will not do it until I die. Everything he does is perfect,” Mouratoglou was quoted as saying. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had reached the finals of the grass-court major for a second consecutive year.
Federer was looking to create a record of gaining six Wimbledon titles in a row, a feat that he would have achieved for the first time. Rafa wrote, “He’d won so much, he’d been so dominant for so long, that a part of him was playing, as he had said once, ‘for history’”.
But Rafa was not willing to lose, as gaining a grass-court major mattered equally to him. The player was striving to get his first Wimbledon title. He states, “Winning this match meant as much to him as it did to me; losing would be as painful for either of us”.
At that point, facing Federer seemed like the biggest challenge for Rafa. But he kept his calm. He states, “When Federer has these game, patches of utter brilliance, the only thing you can do is try and stay calm, wait for the storm to pass”. In terms of trophies won, there is very little to split Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
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