Former World No. 1 Roger Federer is going to make a comeback to the men’s Tour after over a year. He spent time on the sidelines due to the injury he suffered on his knee. His last tournament was the Australian Open 2020, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal.
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Recently, Federer’s trainer Pierre Paganini compared the two different stints of his return to the Tour. In 2016, the former World No. 1 took a break after Wimbledon and returned to play his first Grand Slam after the break at the Australian Open 2017. Roger lifted his 17th Grand Slam title by winning the Major in Melbourne.
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Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the championship trophy after Australian Open 2017 men’s final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at Rod Laver Arena, in Melbourne, Australia 29 January 2017. (Photo by Recep Sakar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pierre Paganini: “[Roger Federer’s] muscles degraded greatly”
However, things are different for the Swiss ace this time. Paganini compared his current scenario with his comeback in 2017 and stated, “The big difference is: When he paused to Wimbledon in 2016 to Australia, he was actually always there muscularly. Now we had a total interruption in which the muscles degraded greatly.”
(Quotes have been translated with Google Translate)
Pierre indicated that Federer’s muscles weren’t the same as they were back in 2017 and that they were not in favorable condition. This isn’t a positive sign for the eight-time Wimbledon champion as he returns to Tour soon.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 30: Novak Djokovic of Serbia walks past Roger Federer of Switzerland during change of ends in their Men’s Singles Semifinal match on day eleven of the 2020 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Roger’s trainer Pierre further added, “There was a long time between the first operation and the moment in July when we said we could slowly start working progressively again. His muscles were no longer in the state condition at all, the imbalances were extreme.”
Pierre Paganini:“The right knee had been causing him problems for several years. But he had them under control, with adapted planning and specific exercises. He and the whole team had been working on it for a long time. via @tagesanzeiger #federer
The Swiss superstar will be back in action after more than a year. He will be competing at ATP Doha 2021, which will be held from March 8 to 13.
Also Read: “Focus All My Attention on Slams”: Novak Djokovic Sets His Sight on Federer and Nadal’s Record