Roger Federer is not expected back on the court until June.
It would be ‘ridiculous’ to expect Roger Federer to return from knee surgery and quickly return to his usual level. That is the view of former British player and ATP commentator Naomi Cavaday.
Last month, Federer announced he had undergone arthroscopic surgery and would be out of action until the summer.
Federer’s final comment in his statement said: “I can’t wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass.”
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And it is thought Federer has chosen to be cautious by skipping the clay-court season to ensure he is fully fit to play on the grass.
It means the 38-year-old’s first tournament back will be the Noventi Open in Halle, where he has won 10 times.
Federer will then hope to play at Wimbledon and aim for a ninth title at SW19.
Back in 2016, Federer needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee which he suffered when giving his kids a bath.
In the six tournaments after his return, Federer failed to win any of them and was a shadow of his usual self.
After losing in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, Federer decided to end his season early and he came back in stunning fashion to win the Australian Open in January 2017.
Speaking after Rafael Nadal won his 85th career title at the Mexican Open, Cavaday was asked for her take on Federer’s injury and she predicted the 20-time Grand Slam champion will take some time to get back to his best.
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“He is very good at being able to pick up his level quickly,” Cavaday said.
“But that has become more difficult as he has got older. Those periods of times out have become a little bit longer because he’s been playing a reduced schedule for quite a long time.
“He’s chosen to miss the clay-court on a few occasions so this one is a bit more of a forced break.
“But I think he will come back just fine, maybe not his absolute sharpest but that would be a bit ridiculous. I’m sure he is going to be very very good.”
Cavaday’s comments echo those made by Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone, who told the New York Times the world No 4 would be a contender at Wimbledon this summer.
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“He just got to the semis of the Aussie Open by the skin of his teeth basically, but he was there, and those are the moments all those greats live for,” Annacone said.
“So I’m not quite ready to write him off. And you look at his grass-court record and how unique his game is for grass, I don’t see any reason he can’t still win Wimbledon.”
Federer has been leapfrogged in the ATP rankings by Australian Open runner-up Dominic Thiem, with Novak Djokovic holding on to No 1 ahead of Nadal in second.
The Real Reason Why Roger Federer Ditched Nike For Uniqlo
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From LeBron James to Tom Brady, star athletes often sign endorsement deals with major apparel companies. Surprisingly, some of the most lucrative sponsorships occur in men’s tennis. For instance, tennis champion Roger Federer had a relationship with Nike for many years. Then, in 2018, he shocked everyone by leaving Nike and signing with clothing company Uniqlo.
Let’s look at the details of that surprising endorsement deal, as well as the factors that convinced him to leave Nike for Uniqlo.
Roger Federer’s relationship with Nike
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Before getting into the details of Federer’s recent deal with Uniqlo, it’s important to emphasize just how surprising his move was. The superstar had a long, lucrative relationship with Nike since 1994. In other words, Federer had worked with the sportswear giant for around two dozen years.
The terms of Federer’s Nike contracts naturally changed over time, with the value of the deals generally rising. The last one he signed with Nike brought in around $10 million a year, covering a 10-year span. As the time drew to a close, apparently Nike couldn’t put together a sweet enough deal to keep Federer.
Federer’s new deal with Uniqlo
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Rumors about Federer’s new deal with Uniqlo made rounds in the tennis world long before an official announcement. He finally confirmed the change in a spectacular fashion: by appearing on the Wimbledon court wearing Uniqlo gear. Specifically, Federer wore a white polo with a stand-up collar with Uniqlo’s branding displayed on the chest and sleeve.
Sports insiders reported that the Uniqlo deal will net Federer a staggering $30 million per year — basically three times as much as his last Nike deal. This kind of pay bump makes it easy to see why Federer chose to shake up his endorsement loyalties. Like Federer’s last deal with Nike, the Uniqlo contract covers a 10-year span.
Many analysts considered it a curious move to sign the then-36-year-old to a deal that may extend beyond his playing years. Yet Uniqlo was clear that they view Federer as an asset whose value will grow. The tennis star has always been one of the most stylish pro athletes. Uniqlo feels confident they can leverage that image and influence to their benefit for years to come.
A small complication for Federer
At first glance, Federer’s deal with Uniqlo looked like a total win. With one fell swoop, he tripled his endorsement income, while ensuring he’d keep collecting even when his playing days end. Yet whenever an athlete breaks ties with a company who they worked with for over 20 years, complications ensue.
In this case, the problem had to do with Federer’s special “RF” logo, which adorned all of his sportswear produced by Nike. While the logo pays homage to Federer’s initials, this doesn’t mean it belongs to him. Quite the contrary, Nike still owns the rights to the logo, so it can’t be used on Uniqlo gear.
Initially, Federer expressed his hope that Nike would graciously give him the rights to his logo. Nearly a year after the Uniqlo announcement, however, Nike still refused to grant Federer the logo.
Uniqlo, meanwhile, says they had no plans to formally purchase the logo from Nike. At this point, the best route may be waiting five years, when Federer can legally claim the expired logo.
