5 things that could be expected of Roger Federer in 2017
Roger Federer is undoubtedly the greatest player to have graced a tennis court and although age has not been on his side lately, he has shown that he still has a lot left in him.
Federer had been going through a number of injury issues since the conclusion of last year’s Australian Open and after Wimbledon, the Swiss maestro decided to quit the remainder of the 2016 tennis season to fully recover from his knee injury.
This long break resulted in his ranking dropping from 3rd to 16th meaning Fed-Ex fell out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2002.
Returning from injury in the Hopman Cup, Federer began his season with a win over Great Britain’s Daniel Evans before losing an exciting battle against young talent Alexander Zverev.
Through his performances so far, the 35-year old has given the hint that he could make a terrific comeback this year so let’s take a look at five things that would be expected of him in 2017.
#5. A totally rejuvenated Federer
Federer is already in his mid-30s but he didn’t show any signs of slowing until last year when he began to have injury concerns with his knee in February which caused him to miss the remainder of the hardcourt season.
During the clay court season, he suffered a back injury which eventually forced him to pull out of the French Open which was the first time since the 2000 Australian Open that the former World Number 1 did not participate in the main draw of a Grand Slam.
Following his semi-final defeat at Wimbledon to Milos Raonic, he announced that he would be sitting out the rest of the 2016 season.
After recovering from the injuries, Federer has been practicing hard and given how confidently he has spoken about his fitness to the media, it is evident that he has completely regained fitness.
His longtime fitness trainer, Pierre Pagani has stated that Federer still feels like he is 25. Fitness has been a key in the 35-year-old’s longevity and a fully fit Federer could be a nightmare for any opponent.