When is Roger Federer planning to return to the ATP Tour?
Rafael Nadal just keeps “raising the bar” when it comes to men’s tennis, according to rival Roger Federer, who is looking to return in 2023.
Rafael Nadal’s latest grand slam triumph at the French Open is “unbelievable”, says Roger Federer, who believes his rival “keeps raising the bar”.
The Spaniard cruised through to both a record 14th success on clay at Roland Garros and a record-extending 22nd men’s grand slam title with a straight sets demolition of Casper Ruud.
That made it two from two in 2022 for the 36-year-old, leaving him clear of both Federer and Novak Djokovic, who remain on 20 grand slam crowns each.
The former – who has enjoyed a strong sporting rivalry and friendship with Nadal throughout their intertwined careers – however has nothing but praise for his latest achievement.
Federer: “It’s just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved”
“I didn’t watch the final,” Federer told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. “I watched the quarter-final [against Djokovic] a bit before I went to sleep.
“In general, it’s just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved. The record of Pete Sampras, which I beat, was 14 grand slam titles.
“Now Rafa won the French Open 14 times. That’s unbelievable. I was happy for him that he did it again.
“Hats off to Rafa. After the 10th, 11th time, I already thought: ‘This can’t be.’ He keeps raising the bar. It’s gigantic.”
Federer has been unable to add to his own haul of grand slams, having missed the tail-end of 2021 and start of 2022 through injury as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
The 40-year-old Swiss star acknowledged he has not yet plotted anything more than competing in the Laver Cup and Basel Open in October, stressing he will focus on achieving full fitness rather than setting a return date.
“After Basel, the season is over anyway,” he added. “It’s important for me to get fit again so that I can train fully. Once I’ve done that, I can choose how many tournaments I play and where.
“The Laver Cup is a good start, I don’t have to play five matches in six days.
“I will have be able to do that in Basel. That’s why I have to prepare for it in practice. I’m curious myself what’s still to come.
“But I’m hopeful, I’ve come a long way. I’m not far away. The next three or four months will be extremely important.”
On a return to top-class tennis in 2023, Federer said that such a move remained the aim, adding: “Yes, definitely. How and where, I don’t know yet. But that would be the idea. Definitely.”