Roger Federer Ready To Hang Up Racket Despite Wanting Storybook Exit

Roger Federer’s speech at the Switzerland Sport Awards has set off alarm bells among tennis fans after he admitted that his current injury could see him miss the 2021 tennis season in its entirety.

The Swiss ace is on the mend from the knee surgery he underwent in February but admits that there is a possibility that he has already played his last match.

Federer, 39, was named Switzerland’s greatest athlete of the past 70 years. During his acceptance speech, he revealed that receiving the award would be an incredible way to culminate his illustrious career.

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

Federer conceded that he would love to suit up at the 2021 Australian Open in February but made it clear that his main priorities were the tournaments much later in the year.

The 20-time men’s singles Grand Slam winner played just one tournament in 2020 before undergoing knee surgery which saw him miss the rest of the truncated campaign due to global health crisis.

Federer is keen to regain full recovery before making a return, pinning his focus on Wimbledon, Olympics and the US Open.

“I would love to be in Australia. But it will be very tight with my knee. I don't want to take the next step until I'm ready. These thee weeks might help me a bit. The summer with Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open is my priority," Federer said, as quoted on Tennis World USA.

Federer’s lack of playing time in 2020 dropped him to No. 5 in the ATP Singles rankings