Roger Federer's massive retirement statement ahead of return

Roger Federer has hinted at his immediate future plans in tennis after talking about his road to recovery, which is leading towards a charge at Wimbledon.

The 39-year-old maestro returned to the ATP Tour back in March after more than a year out with a reoccurring knee injury.

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Unfortunately, Federer suffered a setback in his second comeback match in Doha and was has since returned to training to get his body right.

Federer was expected to return at the ATP 1000 Madrid Open on clay, but switched up his plans to attend the lower-profiled ATP 250 Geneva where he might get more court time on a belated return.

But Federer has admitted right now his future plans don't extend much further than Wimbledon.

It's difficult to abandon all that without trying to come back again," the 20-time Grand Slam champ told Leman Bleu television.

"The year has been ultra-long for me, with the double operation and the pandemic.

"We're on this train until Wimbledon, we're just going to concentrate on that, and the rest afterwards, see what happens. The comeback is the priority."

Federer hoping for court time in Geneva

Federer is preparing to challenge at this year's Roland Garros in just a couple of weeks.

"Doha was just a little test of how I was doing," he added.

"Geneva is more than just a little test, to see if I can play several matches in a row. I know the danger of losing early is always there."

Geneva should test what sort of shape Federer is in ahead of the May 30-June 13 French Open before he targets his two major goals — a ninth Wimbledon title and a singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

"He is not coming to say hello," Geneva tournament director Thierry Grin told the Swiss magazine L'Illustre.

"He is coming to win matches before his big goal: Wimbledon."

Federer only recently cast doubt over his involvement at the Olympics, during the Covid-19 chaos in Japan.

Despite taking his comeback one step at a time, Federer said he hasn't put a date on his retirement.

"It's the knees and the family which will decide that," he told Leman Bleu.

"For the moment, it's the thought of coming back and see what level I will reach, and after we will see how long I can keep going with it, with all the stress, all the demands."

with AFP

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