"He has 4 kids and he has such a great life in Switzerland, it would take a Herculean effort to get back to the top, not even No. 1 but back to the Top-5" - Chris Evert on Roger Federer's comeback chances
Tennis legend Chris Evert reckons it will take a "Herculean effort" from Roger Federer to make a comeback, something she is not sure the Swiss is capable of at his age.
Speaking at a panel discussion for ESPN recently, the 18-time Grand Slam champion remarked that the odds are very much stacked against the 41-year-old, not to get to the World No. 1 spot but to even break into the Top-5. Now that he has four kids and a comfortable life set up in Switzerland, Evert wonders if Federer will have the necessary motivation to get back to the upper echelons of tennis once again.
"He has four kids and he has such a great life in Switzerland and he’s got — he’s all set up with businesses. And he’s just…it would take a Herculean effort to get back to the top, not even No. 1 but back to the top five. I think that would be a Herculean effort, I really do," Evert said.
Speaking about the parallels between the 20-time Grand Slam champion and Serena Williams, who recently announced that she is hanging up her racquet, Chris Evert is of the opinion that Federer is more reserved than Williams.
While Williams aired out her feelings constantly and fans could openly see how her injuries became harder to manage with age, the 67-year-old thinks the Swiss maestro has been playing his comeback closer to the chest.
"With Serena, you kind of…she reveals more about herself and her feelings. And you can see it on the court. Oh, you know, she’s losing to players that she shouldn’t be losing to," Evert said. "And you don’t know how much she’s training and she’s getting injured. And you kind of feel that the end is close. But with Roger Federer, I don’t know what he’s doing."
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Pointing at how almost no one is privy to how the 20-time Grand Slam champion's training is going at the moment or if he still has the same hunger for tennis, Evert is of the opinion that anything decisive can be said about his retirement only after he plays his first proper tournament.
"I don’t know how he’s training. I don’t know if he’s really eager and hungry or if he’s like very satisfied with the life he’s living. I think we’ll be able to tell just by the first tournament he plays what’s really going on with him," Evert said. "But I don’t know. I just…as we’ve said before, to each his own. Everybody retires on their own time and for their own reasons."
The Laver Cup is the first scheduled stop in Federer's 2022 calendar, followed by a stint at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. Depending on how he feels after that, the former World No. 1 has assured his fans that will look to play a full calendar in 2023 to the best of his abilities.
"It’s hard to envision that at 41 that he could win a Major, but then again I said that six years ago" - John McEnroe on Roger Federer
John McEnroe, who appeared in the panel discussion alongside Chris Evert, echoed a similar sentiment, saying that it was difficult to envision Roger Federer winning another Grand Slam at this age.
While he admitted that the Swiss could deal some damage if he feels up to it and that he has been wrong about the former World No. 1's comeback chances previously, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is primarily of the opinion that a successful return to action this time around is unlikely for the 41-year-old.
"Roger is obviously entitled to do whatever he wants. And if he feels up to it, he could do some damage," McEnroe said. "It’s hard to envision that at 41 that Federer could win a Major, but then again I said that six years ago when he came back after having not played for six months and having surgery at Wimbledon after the year I was with Milos and got to the finals."
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Miss you @rogerfederer
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Similar to the case of Serena Williams, McEnroe reckons it's almost impossible to imagine Federer losing early on despite his advanced age, a result of his unparalleled reputation and greatness. Even though the 20-time Grand Slam champion hasn't played any tennis in over an entire year, McEnroe believes that the Swiss could pull off a few upsets if things go his way.
"You expect Roger to be Roger, to some degree. That’s because they’re so great that you always — it’s like when we saw Serena, you’re like, whoa, she lost first round at Wimbledon?" McEnroe said. "You feel like it’s almost impossible no matter how long they haven’t played. Roger Federer is in that similar situation. He hasn’t played a match in, it will be 15 months."