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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a backhand during his Men’s Singles match against Tennys Sandgren of USA on day nine of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a backhand during his Men’s Singles match against Tennys Sandgren of USA on day nine of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
While his expectations around his comeback event aren?t lofty by any stretch, Roger Federer has his eyes locked firmly on the goals that he has set for himself this year.?
The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to action at the ongoing Qatar ExxonMobil Open, ending the 14-month spell he spent on the sidelines while he recovered from a second knee surgery.
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Roger Federer says he is keen to play in the Tokyo Olympics
The extended rehabilitation period kept the 39-year-old Swiss player away from this year?s Australian Open, for the first time since he started playing Grand Slam tennis.
Even as anticipation soared in the lead-up to his comeback match against Briton Dan Evans, Federer said his expectations around the tournament were ?extremely low.??
In an interview with beIN Sports, the champion said that he has marked Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics as his priority events for this calendar year.
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 11: Roger Federer of Switzerland reacts in the against Alexander Zverev of Germany during the Men’s singles Quarterfinals match of 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters day seven at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
He added that he is particularly keen on representing his country at the Summer Olympics as he missed the Rio Games in 2016 on account of a ?left knee? injury.
?Participation in the Olympics is part of my plan although my main goal was everything from today until Wimbledon,? Federer said.
Federer says he wants questions around his knee to end by Wimbledon
The Swiss player said that he wants to be in prime shape by the time Wimbledon comes around, as that would put the conversation and ?questions? around his knee to bed.
Partnering three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, Federer won the doubles gold in the 2008 Beijing Games.?He followed up with a silver in singles in the 2012 London Games.
?The Olympics is a major goal for me… I hope I?ll return to the Tokyo Olympics,? the Swiss star said.
While Federer was away from action, his ?Big Three? rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic made further strides in the race for most Grand Slam titles in the men?s game.
Nadal clinched an unprecedented 13th French Open title last year, which put him on level with Federer at 20 career Grand Slam trophies. Djokovic triumphed over grave physical odds to lift a record ninth Australian Open title this year, taking his career Grand Slam tally to 18.
Read More: “Extremely Low”: Roger Federer Talks About His Expectations at Qatar Open 2021
