Roger Federer insists he is healthy and has ‘gas in the tank’ amid talk of retirement.
At 38-years of age, Federer is the second oldest player in the ATP top 100. But aside from the management of his back, Federer has shown few signs of slowing down.
In fact, 2019 is likely to end with him playing his most matches in a year since 2015. But it has not stopped speculation surrounding Federer and how long he will carry on playing.
Federer has maintained his family will play a major role in any decision he makes with his career.
Speaking in an interview with China Global Television Network in Shanghai, Federer was asked how much gas he had left in the tank and he stressed that his planning for the future was a clear sign of his thoughts.
“I feel like I have a lot [of gas]. The good thing is I don’t know when it is going to end,” he said.
“So my preparations when it comes to my fitness and my practise, it is always based on the unknown. Which means I am planning to play for over a year.
“All of a sudden it might end quickly but my fitness coach always told me ‘let me know if I feel like you are going to have one more year to play then you do not have to do fitness sessions anymore.
We’ll just play tournaments, you will enjoy yourself and we will do that’.
“But I am planning a fitness block in December and another one in the spring and so forth.
“As long as I am motivated to do that – fitness, practice and all the travelling – things are looking good.
“When you are healthy, like I am right now, it’s more fun to play, because when you have one problem it is kind of OK, if you have two it gets tough.
“Whenever you have three at the same time, you know you need a break and you feel like it is foggy and it is just not fun, to always play hurt.
“So I really try to be extremely in a good shape, make sure to sleep enough, have a great time with my family and friends, not just go through the daily routines which become boring and I burn out.
“So I really try to make it fun for me on the road.”
