Roger Federer turns back time as he whips out his racket again post-retirement
“The era of the ‘Big 3’ in men’s tennis was so extraordinary that numerous tennis enthusiasts are reluctant to accept its conclusion. Novak Djokovic remains active and dominant, but he too is increasingly taking breaks. Rafael Nadal is making a determined comeback, albeit temporarily. Meanwhile, Roger Federer has once more quashed any aspirations of a competitive tennis return.”
And to be honest, do we really want Roger Federer to come back and play tournaments? Would it not be much better to remember Federer as he was in his time of greatness than see him come back at 42 years old with chronic knee issues and watch him slowly move around the court? At least more slowly than he used to when he gracefully challenged nearly every ball hit back at him.
But this past week while Federer was in Shanghai to watch the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the subject came up on ATP Media of a potential return to tennis for Roger Federer. Federer very quickly put an end to any rumors that might have emerged.
Roger Federer isn’t going to come back to competitive tennis
According to Federer, “I would still like to play some exhibitions down the road so I want to stay in shape and try to look good a little bit. When you know the knee doesn’t allow you to play at this level, the mind doesn’t even go there that I could be on the court right now.”
And honestly, good for Roger Federer. Sports fans have seen far too many aging athletes try to maintain their greatness and their bodies just won’t let them. Even Federer stayed around a little longer than maybe he should have. Plus, he’s such a fantastic human being, he does more good when he isn’t playing. His Foundation has assisted more than 2.5 million children in Switzerland and southern Africa with the means to get a good education.
Another player that isn’t returning, at least not soon, is Garbine Muguruza. The former No. 1 WTA player who won two Grand Slams (2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon) took an indefinite break from tennis in early 2023 after she lost her sixth-straight match going back to September 2022. Only 30 years old, Muguruza could have many years left to play if she wanted to, but she simply doesn’t seem to want to.
Muguruza told Women’s Health magazine that, “As of today I have no intention (to come back to tennis)…My plan right now is to sleep, rest, be with my loved ones, make up for lost time.” She is, however, now a certified Zumba instructor and has participated in conferences to help teach that. In other words, if you are trying to learn Zumba, you might have a chance of learning it from a former Grand Slam tennis champion.
