August 10, (THEWILL) – The day was always going to come and after Roger Federer turned 40 on Sunday, questions about how soon it will come for the Swiss tennis legend to call time on his legendary career got louder than they have ever been at any other time in his richly rewarding professional playing time.
One of his greatest rivals, Novak Djokovic, the current highest ranked player in the world, was one of those who paid tributes to the tennis maestro. In a video posted to the ATP Tour’s official Twitter account, Djokovic said: “Hey Roger, happy 40th birthday – 40th, wow, what a milestone.
“You still keep on inspiring and thriving on the court, off the court, inspiring all of us. It’s been a huge honour to share the tennis court and the tennis circuit with you in the last 15 years.
“Hopefully you can still keep on playing. The sport needs you, of course, and thanks for everything you have done and thanks for showing us that even at that age we can play at a very high level.”
The reality of the present circumstances leaves the pertinent question largely unanswered. How much longer can the Swiss champion keep playing at the highest level and remain as competitive as he has always been? Recent tournaments prove that it may not be very long.
Just after Djokovic won Wimbledon and equalled the record of Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 grand slam titles apiece, Federer, who has only one Olympic gold, shockingly withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics with the complaint being a re-injuring of his knee at Wimbledon.
After that, Federer has also pulled out of upcoming hard-court events in Toronto and Cincinnati, throwing his availability for the US Open in serious doubt, as it will be impossible to make it for the field of players that will be competing and be in a position to challenge more fit opponents.
It will be a domino effect from there because not being in New York for the US Open makes it tough considering him as a contender in next year’s Grand Slam opener, the Australian Open as well.
To keep his options open, rather than stay off competitions completely, Federer may opt for the Laver Cup, which is due to be played in Boston in late September. That could give him some measure of his capacity to continue, get some playing time under his belt and allow him to get into the frame of mind to aim for the Australian Open next year.
Then, the 40-year-old will also have to think of family life mixed with the realities of playing tennis in the COVID-19 era. Federer had been forced to separate from his family in the tournaments he has played so far this year after fully returning from his double surgeries.
The player himself admitted that it has been a tough circumstance to deal with. Therefore, he had to decide if he wanted to bring the family along, which presented several challenges of their own. He said: “For me, it’s not a problem to come to Paris and do [the bubble] for two weeks, going from hotel to club,”
“But having four kids in a bubble isn’t really going to work out for me, so we have this situation here and we’ll have it again at Wimbledon, and maybe also at the Olympics.”
But, he never made it to the Olympics. For a player at home with being the best and at the top of his chosen profession, Federer has never settled for second best. That is why it is believed that the reality will have dawned on him that his avowed desire to reach one more Grand Slam might be beyond him now.
This was made abundantly obvious at the All England Club this year where he suffered a painful 6-0 set loss to Hubert Hurkacz on the way to a quarter-final exit. He will have to force himself to listen to what his body is telling him even if the hunger for more is still alive. Age has caught up with the quality and something has to give.
If he can put the recurring knee issues aside and give his body a massive push, the possibility of challenging for honours at the year’s US Open, a tough possibility nevertheless, and other events such as the Laver Cup, Indian Wells and Paris Masters, remain, even if any of that will be a complete marvel of its own.
Beyond that, then, he will be pushing his luck if he insists on continuing because time comes when luck runs out. It will do him well to consider all these factors especially his body and the rigorous schedule continued play will force on the family, to reach that point where he takes an honourable bow and hangs his racquet for good.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
