Back, but with nothing to prove, Roger Federer has declared himself at the 2017 season. Although he is yet to compete in a tournament at the Tour level, the 17-time Grand Slam winner gave fans, enthusiasts and writers something to cheer about over the off-season, when he streamed practice sessions to fans from his off-home, off-tour base of Dubai.
The Swiss ace was seen practicing with new Nadal nemesis Lucas Pouille towards the end of the year, but revealed later he had been back to full-time practice much earlier. Following his epic Wimbledon semi-final last year against Milos Raonic, Federer had announced he would be on sabbatical until the end of the calendar year to recuperate.
What he would later go on to explain was that his meniscus injury, one that has plagued him in periods throughout his career, had returned, and this time, with age not exactly on his side as tennis players’ careers go, would take longer to recover from.
But there is no reason to believe, now, that we cannot see the Roger Federer of old return. He had mixed luck at the Hopman Cup, and although he did not make the finals, Federer defeated the eventual men’s singles champion, Richard Gasquet, who won with Team France, in a thoroughly one-sided match. Then, the Swiss played a young sensation who many have touted as being as prodigiously skilled as Federer himself – German ace Alexander Zverev, who at 19 is already being touted as a future No. 1, and the pair played three sets of electric tennis during which the older player, whom Zverev has repeatedly called his inspiration, not even breaking a sweat.
Federer has said that one of the key aims of his 6-month break in 2016 was so that he would have “at least a couple more years of good tennis” to play – and some short – and long-term goals could help him down that path:
Returning to maximum fitness
Federer said in a number of interviews last year that fitness was in fact his ultimate goal, and that he would “like to be playing until [I’m] 40. Given the longevity of Federer’s career and the standard he has been able to maintain in his game so far, that is not an improbability.
At his 2016 Wimbledon semi-final against Milos Raonic, Federer appeared to roll his ankle significantly, and looked to be in serious pain following the match – an injury that perhaps cemented his decision to take a break.
That said, extended breaks, such as the one he took in the latter half of the 2016 season, have been crucial in his recovery. Strategic breaks in competition – as Federer has done all his career – will help that, and given Federer is now at a stage in his career where he no longer needs, in his own words, “to prove anything”, that rest will result in career longevity – and more victories for the Swiss Maestro.
An 18th Grand Slam title
The current record for the highest number of singles Grand Slams is held, of course, by Roger Federer, with seventeen. Several players have attempted, and got close to surmounting that record, among them Federer’s own arch-rival and former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who has 14.
Now World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who is considered the only player in the current ATP lineup who could match or bypass that record – but even he would take a year to do so, assuming of course that he won every Grand Slam this season.
Given his form, which has been superior but also dangerously patchy in parts, pinning the Calendar Slam on Novak Djokovic may not be a realistic move at this point.
Despite his injury struggles last year, Federer was only one win away from a certain trophy at his favourite stomping grounds – proof that even despite his struggles, he is able to fire at the top levels of competition.
Now that he is almost back to the fighting form of the Federer of old, an 18th Grand Slam might not be as unrealistic as fans believe.
In a tete-a-tete with fans on social media following his Dubai practice, Federer revealed he “....would like to win two, three at least, why not?”
Winning another title at Wimbledon
This one is not so much a goal he could have as one he has said he does. In a 2015 interview Federer, who has not won a Grand Slam since 2012, is known to favour the quick grass courts of Wimbledon, where he holds a joint record for the most number of titles won – seven.
He won his last title at Wimbledon in 2012 – and barring a 2013 injury blip that saw Federer exit in the second-round, was runner-up at the tournament until 2016, where he bowed out in the semi-finals. Having exhibited a singular consistency at the venue despite age, injuries and a rapidly-changing field of opponents, there is no reason a fully fit Federer cannot repeat his successes.
Returning to the Top 10
The 2016 season, which saw both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal injured and sidelined for much of the season, marked the first year in over a decade that neither of the former No. 1s were in the top four.
Federer first became a top 4 player in 2003, followed in 2005 by his Spanish arch-rival Nadal – and at least one of the them has remained in the Top Four ever since.
The Swiss had a 10-year consecutive stint in the ATP top 10, then spending the better part of a year outside it in 2013, following which he returned to the top 10 and remained ever since – until the end of the 2016 season, which saw him drop to 17.
A string of good results for Federer could easily see him return to the top 10, and given the form that he has put on display so far, he could well pull it together just as he did the last time he saw a significant injury-related layoff.
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