Roger Federer is hoping to be back in the competition courts in late summer or early fall, so he will likely be at the Laver Cup (which takes place at London’s O2 Arena in late September).
The past two years have been a real ordeal for the Swiss tennis legend, as he had to resort to 3 surgeries on his right knee.
In a lengthy interview with Tennis Deutschland, New York Times reporter Christopher Cleary spoke of Roger Federer’s optimism about his upcoming comeback.
Cleary talks about Roger Federer’s state of mind
“Roger Federer is an optimist, he has a positive energy like that of young children (when they are excited). He definitely has two goals: first, treating his knee and being able to live normally later with his children.
Clary began, “So that’s a huge motivator, and the second… well, people have been wondering since 2009, when he finally won the French Open, when Roger was about to retire.
He’s immune to it (questions about retirement). His models are people like Laver, Rosewall or Agassi. I don’t think he really wants to come back just to compete in the Laver Cup. Maybe you will, but I don’t think that’s what he wants.”
“At the end of the day, he’s someone who loves to play tennis, who loves to feel the ball on the racket. And he loves to compete too.” Christopher Cleary recalled a time when Federer was reluctant to get the author to publish his address and how he had suddenly become protective of his private family life.
“I was on the road with him in Argentina, it was 2012. It was such a great conversation until I suddenly said something about Lenzerheide.
So he stopped and said clearly: “Don’t write where I live!” . It was interesting because it was such a sudden change.
Roger wants his privacy protected and he’s done a great job (in that regard). He is happy to answer questions and discuss the game. But when it comes to the family area, it’s even more delicate.”
