It came as a shock when Roger Federer admitted that he will be skipping the Australian Open and is unsure of when he will return to the court. Several people and players from around the globe started commenting on how vital Roger’s return to the game is. The current world number 1 Novak Djokovic was also one of them.
On Wednesday, the Serbian international said at ATP Finals that he would hope for Roger, who is currently recouping from a knee surgery he had earlier this year, to return to the court and compete with the best, reports Reuters. Federer is going through a rough patch with his knees. He has had 3 surgeries in 18 months or so and will resume running exercises from January 2022 onwards. Federer himself put out a statement saying that he will be surprised if he ever gets to play another Wimbledon, a Grand Slam title he has won a record number of times.
Djokovic defeated Rublev with straight sets in the ATP Finals on Wednesday to enter the tournament’s semis. After the match, the Serbian said, “Roger is an icon of our sport, and people around the world love him. They love watching him play, love seeing him around.” He further added that he wants Federer to make a return so that the world can once again see him go about his business and get a proper farewell for all he has done for the sport.
Currently, Djokovic is eyeing another record of 6 titles at the end of a season, which is held only by Federer. Also, the trio of Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have all won 20 Grand Slams, which is a world record.
