"I didn't know just how much I needed this until I saw it, I can't stop the tears" - Roger Federer's training video sends tennis fans into a frenzy

Roger Federer fans on Saturday were treated to a sight they had been looking forward to for the last eight months. The 20-time Grand Slam champion took to Instagram to share a short video clip of himself hitting some forehands on a practice court.

Aside from garnering almost two million views and more than 200,000 likes on Instagram, the clip was reposted to Twitter by several fan pages. The 20-second-long clip sent fans on social media into a tizzy.

"I didn’t know just how much I needed this until I saw it. I can’t stop the tears. Thank you, Roger Federer. And welcome back my champion," one fan wrote.

"This cures all my illnesses oh my god oh my god I'm so happy right now," another fan tweeted.

It wasn't just the former World No. 1's fans that were overwhelmed by the video. Former World No. 7 Mardy Fish, one of the 40-year-old's contemporaries, also spotted the video and poked fun at Federer, remarking that his technique was not up to the mark. Fish advised the Swiss to bend his knees further to get better purchase on the ball.

Terrible technique here. Bend your knees Roger. Also, those shadows. Where are you? Your basement?" Fish tweeted.

"Wtf am I supposed to do with this??? Get excited about the remote possibility of a comeback and completing the 2023 Calendar Year Grand Slam? Exactly," one user tweeted.

"The sound of the ball being hit by his racket!!! Wow. Hope he comes back with a bang even though for a short time as the maestro deserves the befitting farewell he is so worthy of," one fan posted.

Roger Federer unlikely to play Wimbledon

The 2022 Wimbledon may not be fortunate enough to witness Roger Federer's return to action

While the latest video certainly bodes well for Federer, the fact remains that he is a long way away from returning to competitive tennis. The Swiss is unlikely to return to the tour until after the Wimbledon Championships.

The 40-year-old's coach Severin Luthi revealed in a recent interview that he found it "hard to imagine" the Swiss being fit in time for the grass season. Luthi reminded fans that the former World No. 1 was still in rehab and could not afford to rush the process.

"At the moment I don’t see how he should play in Wimbledon either. I'm not the one who says: impossible. But I can't imagine it at the moment," Luthi said. "He's still in the rehabilitation phase. He can always do more, is actively working.The main thing for him is to slowly get back in."

Federer has been sidelined since last year's Wimbledon, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets in the quarterfinals.