Roger Federer still practices with the energy of a junior player: Coach Severin Luthi
Roger Federer's announcement in June that he had to undergo a second knee surgery, thus ruling him out of the rest of the 2020 season, caused plenty of consternation among his countless fans. Struggling with a nagging issue on his right knee since the Australian Open, the 38-year-old Federer declared in a somber post on social media that he would be returning to the tour only in 2021.
But although Roger Federer's time on the tennis tour seems to be running out, his long-time coach Severin Luthi has claimed the Swiss great still has the enthusiasm of a "junior" player.
In a recent television interview with SRF Sport, Federer's coach Severin Luthi mentioned that the 20-time Grand Slam champion's rehabilitation is going well and that they plan to resume active and intense training soon. According to Luthi, the primary objective right now is that Roger Federer feels completely healthy and ready to hit the courts next season.
"First priority is that Roger gets 100% healthy again. Nice thing is that with Roger you still get the feeling you're on court with a junior and not with a player who's rather at the end of his career," Luthi said.
Even though Roger Federer has stayed away from tennis since February due to the knee problems, the 38-year-old remains fully motivated and positive for the future ahead. Severin Luthi finds this to be the most endearing quality about the Swiss Maestro; the hunger for winning Grand Slams has still not faded one bit for Federer.
Roger Federer's positive attitude has been a significant factor in his success
Roger Federer's sheer passion for tennis and his indefatigable willingness to fight have helped elongate his career longer than anyone could have imagined. Hailed by many as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), Roger Federer's remarkable grit has come to the fore in the twilight years of his career. The Swiss doesn't brood over his losses for long, no matter how painful they may have been.
Severin Luthi recalled how after suffering a painful loss to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2019 final, Roger Federer did not sink into a cocoon of self-pity; instead, within a few hours of the match, he was already looking ahead with positivity.
Federer had two championship points during the intense match against Djokovic, but he squandered the opportunity and ended up losing 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3). Such a gut-wrenching defeat would have put any other player into a long depression, but not Roger Federer.
"Roughly 3 hours after the Wimbledon final, we went to Roger's rented house," Luthi said. "There were approximately 30 people gathered (there); you wouldn't have guessed that he just lost such an important match. He has an unbelievable ability to look forward in a positive way."
The greatness of Roger Federer lies in his ability to bounce back from the harshest of situations, as Luthi has pointed out. The Swiss great has made it a habit of mounting a spirited comeback after every slump, and his fans would be hoping he does the same in 2021.