Federer to play tennis at US Open but rules out Williams-like return

The 20-time Grand Slam champion confirmed he’s lone going to play successful an accumulation lucifer and has nary plans to return.

Roger Federer is really tense astir his tennis.

The antheral who won 5 consecutive US Open championships during the tallness of his dominance of the athletics is acceptable to play again successful Arthur Ashe Stadium connected Tuesday nighttime for the archetypal clip since 2019. And he’s not rather definite however the crippled that possibly cipher ever made look much elegant volition look now.

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“I haven’t played a singles acceptable in, I don’t know, [Hubert] Hurkacz astatine Wimbledon maybe, truthful it’s been 5 years,” Federer said connected Monday, referring to his 2021 quarterfinal nonaccomplishment successful his past Grand Slam match.

“I don’t cognize however it’s going to spell tomorrow. So determination is simply a batch of uncertainty but a batch of happiness that I tin instrumentality to Arthur Ashe, a spot wherever I person had truthful galore beauteous moments.”

It’s lone 1 acceptable of singles successful an accumulation against Andy Roddick and 1 acceptable of doubles with John McEnroe against Roddick and Andre Agassi. The victor of 20 Grand Slam singles titles should beryllium good for those.

But a instrumentality to tennis beyond that, competing successful large tennis tournaments successful his mid-40s similar Venus and Serena Williams?

“No, no, no, no. No, not astatine all,” Federer said during a quality conference.

“Thanks for asking. I wasn’t definite if the question was going to get asked, but I’m blessed you did truthful I tin clarify successful lawsuit anybody thought.”

At 45, Federer inactive looks fit, and said helium enjoys moving retired successful the gym. But helium said helium goes done agelong stretches wherever helium is seldom connected the court.

His lengthy lack from the US Open has done small to dampen his popularity, based connected the fig of radical astir the grounds who were mentioning his name. The quality of “Roger Federer” up connected the large committee for each to spot again, earlier his day signifier connected Ashe, wherever Federer collected the trophy each twelvemonth from 2004-08, was a invited show for his fans.

The travel to New York is simply a halt for Federer connected his mode to Newport, Rhode Island, wherever helium volition beryllium enshrined successful the International Tennis Hall of Fame connected Saturday.

Federer ne'er truly had the accidental to accidental goodbye to New York arsenic a player, due to the fact that determination was nary mode to cognize his nonaccomplishment to Grigor Dimitrov successful the 2019 quarterfinals would beryllium his past match. He had reached the French Open semifinals and the Wimbledon last earlier that year, falling to Rafael Nadal successful Paris and past Novak Djokovic successful a fifth-set tiebreaker astatine the All England Club.

Federer volition play 1 acceptable of singles successful an accumulation against Andy Roddick and 1 acceptable of doubles with John McEnroe against Roddick and Andre Agassi [Sarah Yenesel/EPA]

‘Knee is tired’

It was casual to ideate him returning to the US Open the adjacent twelvemonth and making different heavy run. But aft falling to Djokovic successful the semifinals of the Australian Open to statesman 2020, helium had genu country that February, past different process successful May.

He returned to play successful the French Open successful 2021 but had to retreat earlier his fourth-round match. After the nonaccomplishment to Hurkacz – wherever helium appeared to conflict and mislaid 6-0 successful the 3rd acceptable – Federer had different genu country that August and knew determination would beryllium nary much comebacks.

“The genu can’t bash it immoderate more. It’s tired,” helium recalled thinking. “The caput can’t beryllium diligent adjacent much and hold for different mates years and spot what happens.”

Federer knows Tuesday nighttime won’t beryllium existent tennis, joking that helium and Roddick hopefully would beryllium respectful and not effort to driblet changeable each other. But it volition beryllium antithetic from erstwhile helium did instrumentality to Ashe a mates of years backmost to watch.

“They gave maine an ovation due to the fact that they saw maine connected the large screen, but I conscionable feel, like, time and I conjecture today, arsenic well, and Monday adjacent week, it truly gives maine a existent accidental to accidental convey you and goodbye, which I deliberation is important for some,” Federer said.

“It’s a bully happening to do, for sure.”