Roger Federer has shown glimpses of his brilliance ever since returning from injury. However now he heads towards his target and that is to be competitive at Wimbledon this year. The 39-year-old legend decided to withdraw from the Roland Garros ahead of his fourth round clash against Matteo Berrettini just to be fully ready to feature in Wimbledon.
However, his recent form is definitely a cause of concern. Some people feel that his constant below par performances may force the 20-time Grand Slam winner to hang his boots. However tennis legend Christine Evert reveals how she would love to see the Swiss go out with a ninth Wimbledon title.
“I would love to see him go out winning Wimbledon,” Evert told Tennis.com. “But if he reached the quarters or semis and stopped, to me he would still be going out on top.”
Federer was evidently jittery on his return from injury and hence did not give the best account of himself at Geneva in the clay court. However, he showed great determination and fight in the Roland Garros, winning three rounds. But his preparations ahead of Wimbledon were stalled after he lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round at Halle. It was the 10-time champion’s earliest exit in the event.
Evert was asked about Federer and how much longer can Swiss legend continue before deciding to draw a line to his illustrious career.
“I don’t know how much he (Federer) has mentally,” the American said. “I know his body cannot play a full year. He loves the game, though. He hung in, trained hard, went through two surgeries over a year just to keep playing and to try to do well at Wimbledon. I just wish he had more matches going in. He needs more matches.”
The American tennis legend highlighted how she decided to move aside when she understood that she could not fight for Grand Slams anymore. “I was in the top three for 18 years of my pro career,” the 66-year-old said. “But after 1986, I just felt that I wasn’t in the race for majors anymore. And my whole career I was in that race. So it wasn’t a struggle to quit.”
