If something is going on in Australia, Roger will be there: Severin Luthi gives an update about Roger Federer
Tennis has been gradually returning to some semblance of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But tennis' biggest name - Roger Federer - continues to be missing in action due to his double knee surgery.
It is getting increasingly confusing as to when the legendary Swiss will return to on-court training. Several dates have been thrown around by Federer and his coach Severin Luthi, but none of the deadlines seem to have been met thus far.
However, while recently speaking to BLICKsport, Luthi once again reassured fans that everything was going according to plan for Roger Federer. The 44-year-old insisted that Federer was far from stressed about the situation, and that he still had his eyes firmly set on a return at the 2021 Australian Open.
Roger Federer is back on the field every now and then: Severin Luthi
Back in July, Severin Luthi had stated that Roger Federer would most likely return to on-court training around mid-August. But that was not to be, much to the disappointment of the fans.
Then around mid-September, the 20-time Grand Slam champion revealed that tennis training was ‘a week away’. Once again, the day came and went and there were no signs of Roger Federer having resumed hitting with a racquet.
However, Severin Luthi has now re-affirmed that Roger Federer is not unduly stressed about the situation and that everything is going according to plan. He added that tennis was gradually becoming more and more important for his friend after a long hiatus from the sport.
"So far everything is going according to plan and satisfactorily,” Luthi said. “Roger is still not stressed. Tennis is only gradually becoming more important.”
Luthi went on yo state that Roger Federer was ‘back on the field every now and then’.
While it is known that the legendary Swiss has resumed circuit training with his fitness trainer Pierre Paganini, there is not much information on the training front. As such, it is difficult to know what exactly Luthi is alluding to over here.
Federer’s coach also stressed that rushing things at the age of 39 was far from a wise move.
"Roger is back on the field every now and then,” Luthi continued. “But the first phase of the tournament is still a long way off. Our motto is: Don't rush things at his age!"
Roger Federer and his team are being extremely patient about the whole situation. With tournaments still undecided about their future amidst the pandemic, it does seem like the wiser move to wait and watch.
Luthi also confirmed that Roger Federer would be taking part in the 2021 Australian Open, should the tournament go ahead.
“The longer we wait, the more we know,” Luthi said. “If something is going on in Australia, Roger will be there - that's the plan.”