"I would love to see him go out winning Wimbledon" - Chris Evert on Roger Federer's potential retirement

Following his long-awaited return to competitive tennis, Roger Federer has claimed that his main goals for the 2021 season are Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics.

The Swiss has struggled to find his best form since his comeback from injury. Early exits in Geneva and Halle have raised concerns over his level of play and prompted speculation that the Swiss could soon call time on his decorated career.

Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Chris Evert has revealed she would love to see the Swiss legend go out on a high by capturing a ninth Wimbledon trophy this year.

"I would love to see him go out winning Wimbledon," Evert told Tennis.com. "But if he reached the quarters or semis and stopped, to me he would still be going out on top."

After losing his second match in Doha following a 13-month hiatus due to injury, Federer bowed out at the very first hurdle on his claycourt return in Geneva. The 39-year-old then had a solid showing at Roland Garros, where he won three rounds before withdrawing to protect his body ahead of the grass season.

His Wimbledon preparations suffered a huge setback when he lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round at Halle, marking his earliest-ever exit in the event, where he is a 10-time champion.

Felix fires past Federer 👀A huge win for 20 y/o 🇨🇦 @felixtennis who defeats 10x @ATPHalle champion Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 👏 #NoventiOpen pic.twitter.com/5tQfM7aQ2J

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 16, 2021

Evert pointed to her own career and claimed she decided to quit when she was no longer in the "race for Grand Slams."

"I was in the top three for 18 years of my pro career," the 66-year-old said. "But after 1986, I just felt that I wasn’t in the race for majors anymore. And my whole career I was in that race. So it wasn’t a struggle to quit."

Evert also questioned how much Roger Federer still has in the tank after more than two decades on the tour.

"I don’t know how much he (Federer) has mentally," the American said. "I know his body cannot play a full year. He loves the game, though. He hung in, trained hard, went through two surgeries over a year just to keep playing and to try to do well at Wimbledon. I just wish he had more matches going in. He needs more matches."

I don't think he should compete if he's below "Roger Federer level": Pam Shriver

Roger Federer

Tennis analyst and 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion Pam Shriver also weighed in on the 39-year-old's form heading into Wimbledon.

The American said it was concerning to see Federer play at a level so much lower than we are accustomed to.

"I’m uneasy about him for the first time," Shriver said. "I don’t think he should compete if he’s significantly below ‘Roger Federer level,’ and I thought the final two sets [in Halle] were significantly below that level."

2 1/2 hours after losing in Halle, Roger Federer (who always comes in immediately after a loss) comes to press:"I felt I needed time. I needed time to digest the third set. I was unhappy with how it ended, similar to Geneva." He didn't want to say anything wrong in frustration.

— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) June 16, 2021

Following Wimbledon, Federer plans to compete at the Olympic Games and the US Open. But Shriver has questioned whether Federer's knees will hold up on hardcourt.

"Look what happened at the French Open, on softer clay," the 1978 US Open finalist said. "Will Roger’s knees be that much better and ready for best-of-five set hard-court matches just two months later?"