Roger Federer has been warned to avoid the same fate as Serena Williams, if he makes his long-awaited return to the ATP Tour. Federer has been out of action since the 2021 Wimbledon last summer, having gone through triple knee surgery during his time off.
His injury woes ruled himself out of this year’s tournament, but the Swiss star has vowed to return to SW19 at least once before his retirement. One fellow star who did return this year though is Wimbledon legend Serena Williams.
Like Federer, Williams had endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines before deciding to make a fairytale comeback at this summer’s tournament. Unfortunately for the American she was unable to replicate her SW19 heroics of years gone by this time around, as she suffered an opening round defeat to France’s Harmony Tan.
As a result former men’s French Open winner Adriano Panatta has warned Federer could suffer something similar upon his potential future return to the famous tournament.
Panatta told Gazzetta dello Sport : "Roger Federer is one of the reasons why I continued to love tennis," he said. "I wish him happiness, he has an extraordinary career behind him and a wonderful family next to him.
"There is a time for everything. [But] we have already given up with Serena Williams, I hope not to see a replica."
Federer himself made an appearance at this year’s tournament, despite not being on the playing roster. The Swiss star admitted that it felt awkward to be back at Centre Court whilst not playing, but revealed he is hoping to make at least one more Wimbledon appearance with a racket in hand.
He commented: “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches here,” he said. “It feels awkward to be here in a different type of role.“This court has given me my biggest wins and my biggest losses. I hope I can come back one more time. I miss being here.
“I didn’t think it would take this long to come back; this year has been rough on me. I didn’t know if I should make the trip, but I’m happy to be standing here today.” The 20-time Grand Slam’s champion overdue return to tennis is finally set to come later this year, with Federer targeting the Laver Cup in September.
