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Federer Wimbledon 2021

Roger Federer admits ‘it’s been a tough year’ as he plans Wimbledon return


Roger Federer has reassured fans that he hopes to be back at Wimbledon next year to play the tournament ‘one more time.’

This year’s Wimbledon is the first this century that does not have Roger Federer in the men’s draw.

He has made an appearance, though, as he took his place among the parade of champions to celebrate 100 years of Centre Court.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches on this court,” Federer said. “It feels awkward to be here today in a different type of role.

“It’s great to be here with all the other champions. This court has given me my biggest wins and my biggest losses. I hope I can come back one more time.

Roger Federer has only played a handful of tournaments since having knee surgery in February 2020.

They include a failed attempt at Wimbledon last year, which saw him limp out of the tournament in the quarter-finals.

He is set for a return later this year at the Laver Cup and Basel, but he admits the knee injury has been much worse than he expected.

“I’ve missed it here,” Federer continued. “I knew walking out here last year, it was going to be a tough year ahead.

“I maybe didn’t think it was going to take this long to come back – the knee has been rough on me.

“It’s been a good year regardless of tennis. We’re happy at home. I didn’t know if I should make the trip but I’m happy standing here right now.”

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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.