About the only opponent that has dared to slow down Roger Federer when he was simply unstoppable has been his body. As much as it drove him to 20 Grand Slam titles and many more on the men’s Tour, it has also broken down on occasions, putting him on the sidelines.

Roger Federer and a dodgy knee

While his career is dotted with injury setbacks, none apart from the back injury in 2017 has hogged the dinner-table discourse and spawned a rising retirement chorus as much as his old knee has.

His knee nearly gave up on him after his run to the Australian Open semifinals this year, forcing him to go under the knife. The surgical procedure and the exhaustive recovery and rehabilitation process after ruled him out of any action thereafter.

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“Still Fighting For My Comeback”- Roger Federer Dismisses Retirement Statements

While a season lost to injury isn’t unusual in the life of a tennis player, what has put Federer’s knee in the spotlight is the fact that it acted up a second time after a previous surgery.

When a back injury made Federer fans fear the worst

With Federer no spring chicken at 39, there are questions on whether his knee will see him through another year on the circuit and help him stay in the race for most Major titles with old rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

In terms of the extent to which the latest injury spell has set him back, the knee merits direct comparison with his back, which broke down just when he was at the top of his game.

He had clinched his eighth Wimbledon title and was on a hot streak, winning 34 sets back-to-back. However, the run of wins snapped at Coupe Rogers as he suffered an upset at the hands of German Alexander Zverev.

While the defeat was hard to stomach, what followed was an even bigger shock to his fans. He did his back, and it got progressively worse, forcing him to pull out of Cincinnati Masters.

Roger Federer unsure if his knees can survive another season

With the back, arguably the worst place for a player to hurt himself, many feared for Federer’s career at the time. Thankfully, however, his back healed appreciably enough for him to make a comeback at the US Open that year.

It’s déjà vu with the knee now. Again, not an easy injury to manage and recover from at 39, the speculation around Federer’s troublesome knee simply refuses to die down.

And if Federer’s own assessment of where he stands currently is any indication, even he is unsure if his knees can hold out much longer.

Federer’s knees have a taken heavy toll in his 22-year career

At an award show where he was voted Switzerland’s best athlete in the last 70 years, Federer said he is still far from regaining full fitness and is most likely to miss out on the Australian Open, and possibly the French Open as well.

He also seemed to suggest that if his semifinal loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open this year were to be his last, he would go in peace.

What’s also important to note in this context is that his knees have taken a heavy toll over the course of his 22-year career and probably make Federer feel like 50 at 39.

So, does his dodgy knee threaten his career? Can he make a comeback like he had in 2017?

Time will tell, but with Federer, you never say never!