Tennis ace Roger Federer says return date 'still a bit uncertain'
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"I am much more enthusiastic than before, the attitude is different. It's really completely different from 10 years ago," said Roger Federer.
Tennis ace Roger Federer has opened up over speculations and the expected timing of his return to the courts. Since Federer withdrew from the ATP Toronto and Cincinnati Masters due to fitness concerns, there have been talks over his participation in the US Open.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion had reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals this year but had also pulled out from the Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury.
"I'm fine. I was on holiday. I haven't done anything for a while because of my knee. I had to stop everything after Wimbledon," Federer told Blick newspaper while addressing his return.
"This week, I have to meet my doctors and my team, and then we will see what happens next. For now, everything is still a bit uncertain."
The 40-year-old Federer, who has only played 13 matches in 2021, said he was learning to adjust to the fact that recovering from niggles takes two weeks rather than two days.
The US Open gets underway on August 30 but Federer, whose last Slam title came at the 2018 Australian Open, did not say whether he would be taking part in the last of the year's four majors.
"It was different before. The questions were simple: what is my place in the ranking? What will my next tournament be?", he said.
"Today, it's more difficult: how do I feel when I start training again? What are my goals? How to reconcile all this with the family? What does the rest of the team say?
"I am much more enthusiastic than before, the attitude is different. It's really completely different from 10 years ago."
(with inputs from agencies)