"Roger Federer doesn't set fixed limits" - Coach Ljubicic on the Swiss' retirement plans
There has been plenty of positive news from Roger Federer’s camp of late about the Swiss legend's comeback from injury. After Severin Luthi and Federer himself, it is now the turn of the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s coach - Ivan Ljubicic - to give an update about his ward’s physical condition.
Ljubicic spoke along the same lines as Luthi and Roger Federer, and assured everyone that the World No. 4 was on track in the rehabilitation process.
“He is in the recovery phase, I would say that things are going in the best way,” Ljubicic said.
The Croat further revealed that Roger Federer has been gradually increasing the intensity of his training sessions.
"He trains more and more and better, I'm curious to see how much we can push in the coming months,” Ljubicic continued. "The program we had in mind to date has been fully respected. There is a lot of trust.”
There has been a lot of speculation about the tournaments that Roger Federer intends to play in the year to come. Ivan Ljubicic thinks it is too early for such discussions, although he did confirm that there was a plan in place to leave ‘as soon as possible’ for the 2021 Australian Open.
“Talking about programs is now premature,” Ljubicic asserted. “I certainly cannot say today what we will do in April. I know we want to leave as soon as possible, play a great Australian Open and then evaluate step by step.”
The Croat then played down the talk of retirement, before adding he was hopeful that Federer would continue playing for a ‘long time’.
“He doesn't set fixed limits,” Ljubicic said. “I hope for a long time, of course.”
There is no problem between Roger Federer and me and there never will be: Ivan Ljubicic
Ljubicic has formed his own company called the LJ Sports Group, which has recently taken Matteo Berrettini under its wing. Naturally, there have been talks of competition between Ljubicic’s agency and Roger Federer (and Tony Godsick’s) Team8.
However, the Croat dispelled any such notions and assured everyone that his relationship with his long-time friend was as healthy as ever.
“Before being the coach, I have been a great friend to Roger for many years,” Ljubicic explained. “There is no problem and there will never be, between us."
The Croat was also asked if there was any conflict of interest given his dual role as Federer’s coach and potential business rival. Ivan Ljubicic answered in the negative, and suggested that his coaching role held more importance for him.
"No no, my job is and remains to be Roger Federer's coach,” Ljubicic said. “However, during the COVID-19 break, I decided to start this new company. It is an activity that I had always done on my own, but now there are new partners with me, we intend to grow and structure ourselves even better."