Swiss tennis great Roger Federer says it is possible that he could play an exhibition event next year following extensive rehab on his knee.
The former world No. 1 spoke about his future plans in the sport shortly after being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Federer was selected during the first year he was eligible to do so and received more than 75% of votes from a panel, which is made up of tennis media, historians, industry leaders, members of the Hall and fans.
During his career, Federer became the first man to win a 20th Grand Slam trophy and won a total of 103 ATP titles during his career. He has spent a total of 310 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, which is the second-highest in history after Novak Djokovic. He currently holds the Grand Slam record for wins (369) and quarter-final appearances (58).
Federer retired in 2022 at the Laver Cup, which is a team event he co-founded. During the later stages of his career, he was troubled by a knee injury which sidelined him for weeks at a time.
Providing an update on his health during an interview with Tages-Anzeiger, the 44-year-old says his knee is feeling much better and is back to playing tennis again. Whilst he will never return to the Tour, Federer is hoping to play exhibition events at some stage. Recently, at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, he played a doubles match alongside actor Donnie Yen. They played Wu Li and WTA star Zheng Jie, winning 5-7, 10-8, 7-1.
“My knee feels better. I’m playing much more tennis again now,” said Federer.
“In the summer I played occasionally with Ivo Heuberger (former Swiss player) because my children are playing more often and better now. I join them from time to time, too.
“My goal is still to be able to play a few exhibitions again. Maybe something will happen in 2026. I’m now doing a mini build-up until the end of the year.”
One of the speculations is that Federer could take on former nemesis Rafael Nadal in a match at some stage. The two played against each other 40 times on the Tour between 2004 and 2019, with the Spanish King of Clay winning 24 of their meetings.
“It would be nice if it worked out,” Federer commented.
“If we now played exhibitions after our careers, we’d have more time and wouldn’t have to immediately rush to the next thing. I could imagine combining the whole thing with a good cause, raising money for my foundation and inspiring kids. At the moment, nothing concrete is planned. But I see a few cool things that could come from it.”
One of Federer’s current tasks is acting as a ‘general manager’ of his 11-year-old son Leo, who has taken up tennis more seriously. His main priority for Leo is ‘less concerned with results than with him having fun and making progress.’ As a tennis parent, Federer says it is important to trust the coaches but still ‘keep your finger on the pulse.’
Family is the main focus for Federer after years of travelling around the world. However, would he consider helping other players in the future should they ask for help?
“I don’t have time. I think everyone knows that. That’s why nobody asks,” he jokes.
“But never say never. Stefan Edberg hadn’t thought he’d spend two years on tour with me either.
“I’m open to mentoring. If someone has a question, I’m happy to give advice. Or if I’m in Dubai at the end of the year, a player is welcome to drop by. I’m open, but I can’t be everywhere.”
