Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors: Beginning of a gritty comeback or end of a glorious career?
Roger Federer treated his fans to the best possible news on Tuesday, confirming his participation at the 2022 Swiss Indoors. Not having played any competitive tennis since last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals, the ATP 500 event is the second guaranteed stop on the Swiss' calendar this year after the Laver Cup.
But as one would expect from social media, speculation is rife that the event could simply be the 20-time Grand Slam champion's farewell tournament. This is mainly due to the fact that the Swiss Indoors takes place in Basel, the former World No. 1's home tournament, where he has won the most titles (tied with the Halle Open).
293 - After 293 days since his last match at the 2021 Wimbledon quarter-finals, Roger #Federer announced he will play at the Laver Cup, in September, and the Swiss Indoors, in October. Comeback? https://t.co/K4ThL6mG2A
For starters, there is a poll being run by The Tennis Podcast on their Twitter handle, positing the same question: "If Roger Federer plays Basel, is this the start of a comeback, or the end of a career?"
If Roger Federer plays Basel, is this the start of a comeback, or the end of a career? #PollVault
At the time of writing, the poll has almost 3,000 votes, with 22.3% declaring that it is the start of a comeback and 77.7% confident that it is the end of his career. Of course, no one other than Federer himself can say this for certain. Until then, rumors on social media will remain only that -- rumors.
@TennisPodcast At 41, it's obviously not going to be a long-term comeback. But equally there's no way he's gone through the last 12 months just to play a couple of minor events. My guess is he'll bow out at Wimbledon '23, if he stays injury-free.
Assuming Basel is the first tournament the World No. 41 will play in 2022, it will have been more than an entire year since his last competitive match. The chances of anyone, even a champion as great as Roger Federer, spending 12 months undergoing a painful rehabilitation process just to play a couple of events sounds unlikely.
@TennisPodcast Seriously, there is only one person who can answer this and maybe not even Roger knows what will happen. Let's just wait for his return and how his body will react to being back on the tour. Hope he will be pain-free and can do what he enjoys the most: Playing 🎾
Then, there is the possibility that the 40-year-old will be confirmed to play at more tournaments in the coming days. He has to start his comeback somewhere, and where better to do it than in front of his home fans?
On top of that, the Swiss will be the three-time defending champion (the 2020 and 2021 editions were wiped out because of the pandemic), giving him a much-needed psychological boost on his return to action.
Will Roger Federer gauge whether it is a comeback or farewell based on how he fares at the Swiss Indoors?
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Another popular opinion on social media is that Roger Federer will decide whether it is a comeback or farewell based solely on how he performs at the 2022 Swiss Indoors. In other words, the 20-time Grand Slam champion will gauge his fitness levels at the tournament and then decide what to do next.
@TennisPodcast Maybe somewhere in the middle. A comeback that he’s hedged his bets over in case. Feels a little bit like Delpo’s comeback that quickly turned into a retirement announcement.
It is an idea that makes the most sense, especially because it has precedent. Juan Martin del Potro returned to action at the Argentina Open earlier this year after a long break and announced his retirement after realizing that he was still in pain. Interestingly, the former US Open winner's comeback is not off the table yet either.
Roger Federer confirmed for the Swiss Indoors in Basel in October, which doesn't necessarily mean he will start his comeback there.
Andy Murray announced his retirement a few years back due to a hip injury, and then returned to action after sufficient medical treatment. But unlike the aforementioned names, the Swiss maestro's main issue will be age.
The former World No. 1 has emphasized time and again during his current break that the motivation to play is still there, and it is simply a question of getting his body in the right place.
Still lots of uncertainty about what will be possible for Roger #Federer as he tries to come back but for now he is confirmed for Laver Cup in London in late September & Swiss Indoors in hometown Basel at end of October.
He will be 41. Farewell tour or start of longer run?
The World No. 41 already leads the list of oldest players to have won a tournament, a Grand Slam and a Masters 1000 event since 1990.
There have been players much older than Federer who dominated the sport to a reasonable degree in previous eras, when things were much less intense and not as dependent on speed and power. But now, with the younger players faster and fitter than ever, that's unlikely to happen.
Plenty are happy RF is returning, and sad because Basel could be a farewell. It very well could be, but it’s possible that Federer just doesn’t know yet- being 6 months away. It’s possible the knee feels good in LC/Basel & he goes into the off season feeling like 2023 is doable. twitter.com/staffsky/statu…
For now, though, fans should remain cautiously optimistic about their favorite's chances when he gets back to action. Because if anyone can conquer the tennis world again after crossing 40, it is probably Roger Federer.
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