‘He Still Calls Himself a Tennis Player’- Boris Becker Weighs in on Roger Federer’s Current Situation

The retirement of Roger Federer is one of the most talked-about topics in the tennis community lately. The Swiss maestro, a winner of 103 singles titles, has been struggling with a knee injury since the beginning of the 2020 season. The 40-year-old last won a tour title in 2019. However, his last Grand Slam title came at the 2018 Australian open.

Federer has been out of the tour for 9 months now. He last played at the 2021 Wimbledon, suffering a quarterfinal loss to Hubert Hurkacz. Following the loss, the eight-time Wimbledon champion underwent third knee surgery on his right knee. He had priorly got the surgery done in February and May 2020.

Following the surgery in August 2021, Federer has not been able to fully recover and a sense of uncertainty still looms over his comeback. Recently, German great, Boris Becker expressed his opinions on talks revolving around Federer’s retirement.

Becker indulged in a conversation with a media house. In the conversation, the former World No. 1 spoke about Nadal’s invincible form since the start of 2022. He also spoke about how the rib injury could hamper the chances of Nadal winning the Roland Garros this year. Expressing his hope of Nadal regaining his full fitness, Becker shifted his focus to Nadal’s biggest on-court rival, Roger Federer.

Boris Becker on the retirement of Roger Federer

Tennis is a sport requiring the ultimate level of fitness. It won’t be wrong to say that at the age of 40, one cannot expect Federer to play as he used to during his prime. However, even though the Swiss great has struggled with form and fitness lately, he has certainly rubbed off rumors pertaining to his retirement as of now. Instead, the 20-time Grand Sam has confessed that he still has the drive within and is motivated to play.

Giving his views on Roger’s approach, Becker said, “As long as he thinks he wants to play, then let him. We are happy if he still does.” 

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He further added, “He has every right in the world to decide when he plays again. He’s earned it, worked for it, and in this respect: as long as he still calls himself a tennis player, we have to recognize him as such,”. Roger Federer is unquestionably one of the most respected players on the tour. In a career spanning over two decades, Federer has given ample examples to show the world why he deserves this respect. Boris further went on to comment on Federer’s potential comeback.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Roger Federer of Switzerland towels off during his men’s Singles Quarter Final match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland on Day Nine of The Championships – Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The potential comeback of Federer

As far as Federer’s return to the tour is concerned, he has begun light training. The Swiss Maestro has been recently active on his social media handles, posting visuals of his training to make a strong comeback to the tour.

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However, there is no official announcement or an exact timeline about his return to the tour yet. Nonetheless, with age not on his side, it remains to be seen how Federer fares once he makes a comeback.

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