Roger Federer delights fans with picture showing he is back on the court

20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has confirmed that he is back to training on the courts, as per an update he posted on his social media account on Friday.

This is the first time that Federer has been seen playing on the tennis court since his knee surgery earlier in the year.

Roger Federer's last competitive appearance on the professional circuit came at the Australian Open in January, where he lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. He did, however, take part in the Match for Africa exhibition event in Cape Town alongside Rafael Nadal, Bill Gates and Trevor Noah in early February.

Later that month, Roger Federer announced that he had undergone surgery on his right knee and would be out of action until the grasscourt season in June.

In June, while the tennis circuit was still suspended due to the global pandemic, Federer posted another update stating that he had undergone a second procedure after a setback during his rehab process. The new surgery ensured he would miss the rest of the 2020 season.

In recent interviews, Roger Federer as well as sources within his camp have repeatedly asserted that the Swiss superstar is on track to return to the tour in January 2021.

Former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic, who is part of Federer's coaching team, also claimed that Federer's recovery is going in the best possible way in a recent interview.

"He is in the recovery phase, I would say that things are going in the best way,” Ljubicic said. "He trains more and more and better, I'm curious to see how much we can push in the coming months. The program we had in mind to date has been fully respected. There is a lot of trust.”

As expected, the news of Federer being back on the court was met with incredible fervor and enthusiasm from his fans and others in the tennis world. The ATP Tour social media team even jokingly asked the Swiss legend if he wanted to come to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals as a hitting partner.

Roger Federer to drop to No. 5 in the world rankings next week

Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev

Roger Federer is expected to drop one spot - to No. 5 - in the world rankings next week with Daniil Medvedev having reached the semifinals of the Paris Masters. Medvedev defeated Diego Schwartzman in straight sets on Friday and as a result of the points he has gained this week, the Russian will climb one position to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday.

Daniil Medvedev will meet 10th seeded Milos Raonic, who defeated Ugo Humbert on Friday, for a spot in the finals of the Paris Masters. Roger Federer meanwhile will likely be seen in competitive action at the 2021 Australian Open.