The greatest tennis player to ever pick up a racket is on the comeback trail. Roger Federer has not played a match since last summer at Wimbledon. He has needed the time off to recover from a knee problem that was not fully corrected by surgery he had after last year’s Australian Open. This could be the last comeback for the 35-year-old Swiss superstar.

Believes He Can Add to His Grand Slam Legacy

Federer already holds the record for the most Grand Slams ever won by a man on tour with 17. He has every faith that he can add to that total before he retires. The six months of rest that Federer just had may make this year his best and maybe last shot to get another Grand Slam. Considering that he is 35 years old, which is ancient by tennis standards, Federer likely doesn’t have too many good years left in him.

The good news for Federer fans is that he is probably more refreshed than he has been in a couple of decades. Federer is known for playing a grueling schedule thanks to how often he makes deep runs at tournaments. To have all this time off means that his body has had time to fully heal from all the punishment it has absorbed over the last few decades. Federer is now ranked as the16th best player in the world.

Return Is Just Around the Corner

After a long six months’ wait, Federer fans will get to see their hero in action soon. Federer is set to make his return in a team event called the Hopman Cup in January in Perth, Australia. This will be his first tournament since he lost in five sets to Milos Raonic in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year.

Hopefully, Federer will not need long to knock the rust off his game. For the first three months of his recovery, he only worked out for an hour a day. He didn’t even start playing points again until October, and it was only late November when he resumed a full training schedule at his offseason training base in Dubai.

With all of that time off, even the greatest player ever will likely need a few matches to round back into form. When he does knock the rust off, though, you can expect Federer to make some noise this year. He undoubtedly realizes that this is his last chance to add to his great legacy. That is part of the reason he gave himself so much time off.

Now that his body is 100 percent, Federer can go out there and showcase the amazing tennis playing that has wowed the fans over the years. It remains to be seen if he can bring his game up to the level necessary to beat Djokovic or Murray, but it will be fun to watch him try. 

One thing is certain. You should never count out a player of Federer’s skill. He could just have one more fortnight of magic left in him to win a Grand Slam this year.

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