The Return of Roger Federer is quickly approaching as he makes his last minute preparations ahead of his second round clash with Juan Martin del Potro at the Miami Masters.
The 34-year-old hasn’t played a match on the ATP Tour since his semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. His lengthy absence from the tour was due to a knee injury which forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery to treat a torn meniscus in his knee. The cause of the injury has been a mystery for many, with some claiming he did it whilst walking in the park with his two daughters. The Swiss ended the rumors by revealing that he ‘heard a click’ in his knee whilst running a bath for his daughters.
“It happened the day after the Djokovic match. I woke up, I don’t know exactly remember what happened”. The world No.1 told media in Miami.
“ I think I was going to run a bath for the girls. I made a very simple movement, turned back, heard a click in my knee. Went to the zoo. My leg was swollen.”
The operation was as much of a surprise as a disappointment for Federer, who was hoping to complete his outstanding tennis career without any surgeries. Nevertheless, seven weeks and two days later, the world No.3 is preparing for his 16th Miami Masters. He has won the title twice in his career, however, his last triumph occurred in 2006. In light of his recent injury woe, the 17-time Grand Slam champion has played down his chances of another Miami title in 2016 as he focuses on how his knee holds up.
‘I’m excited. Anxious to find out how my knee is going to react, is it going to be different day-to-day, how is it going to feel after the match and so forth”. The 34-year-old said about his knee.
I’m just really pleased that I’m here. Couldn’t be more happy how rehab has gone. It’s baby steps. Still at the same time you go from crutches to walking to running to jumping to sprinting. It’s pretty incredible to see the progress I’ve been able to make in a short period of time.
Federer’s comeback match will be against comeback king, Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro, who is currently playing in only his third tournament since returning from a wrist injury, defeated Guido Paella in the first round in Miami. The encounter will resume a thrilling rivalry between the two. Federer currently leads the head-to-head 15-5 against the Argentine. Speaking about playing the former US Open champion for the 21st time on the tour, Federer is delighted to see the return of his close friend.
“It’s nice to see him back. I haven’t seen him play at all since he’s been back, so I’m not quite sure what to expect, even though my coach went to see his match yesterday“. Federer said about his upcoming match in Miami against Del Potro.
“We’re both in a similar situation. His injury was much, much greater. That’s why I’m really pleased for him that he was able to find a way back onto the tour”. He later added.
Federer’s absence from the tour meant that he missed two massive headlines in the world of tennis. The first of these was Maria Sharapova’s failed drugs test, which she confirmed on March 7th. Speaking about the topic, he admitted that he was expecting Sharapova to announce her retirement before she dropped the bombshell. Speaking positively, Federer said that the failed drug test proves ‘the system is working’. On the other hand, he has questioned the standardization of drugs tests around the world.
“I’ve been in Dubai now for 10 years there and been tested once. That’s not okay for me”. The Swiss player stated.
“I get tested more in Switzerland because the guy from Switzerland lives in my village. He comes to see me the day after my surgery, one week later. In Dubai they’ve only come once, the Asia games. In certain countries, maybe the testing is not as serious as in Switzerland. I’d like to see that across the board to be the same way and fair.”
Expressing his viewpoint on doping, Federer has called for blood samples to be stored for years.
The other topic currently overshadowing the world of tennis is equal prize money. The debate was sparked after former Indian Wells CEO, Raymond Moore, made insulting remarks about the WTA Tour. Following on from that Incident, Novak Djokovic suggested that men should be paid more than women before clarifying his comments. Federer, who support equal prize money, said in Miami that this issue is one that it up to each tournament and nobody else.
“I’m all for equal prize money. When I was fighting for prize money increases, especially at the slam level, I was always very aware of the fact that it was always going to impact the women’s game, which I was very happy about. Both at the same time were growing”. The former world No.1 explained.
“You have to look at the history of each and every event, where it came from. Some tournaments were a men’s tournament, then the women joined or vice versa, it was a women’s tournament and we joined them.
It’s sometimes hard to make equal prize money there. It’s up to the tournament director to decide if he wants it to be that way”.
Federer later added that tennis has produced ‘some of the greatest female athletes in the world’.
This week Federer will play in the main draw of a Masters event for the 122nd time in his career.
