After experiencing an historic return to tennis in January, Roger Federer could be forgiven for getting ahead of himself.
Sidelined from the tour for six months due to a troublesome knee injury, the 35-year-old went against the odds in his first competitive tournament at the Australian Open. Dismissing four top-10 players, Federer became the first man in the sports history to win an 18th grand slam title. It was an achievement that illustrated the pure talent of one of the greatest players to ever walk onto a tennis court.
The latest part of Federer’s comeback is taking place at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Once again the Swiss player has outlasted his rivals to progress to his 45th Masters 1000 final, dismissing Jack Sock in straight sets on Saturday. The comeback has been a dream come true for Federer, who maintains a cautious outlook on his game.
“What I don’t want to do is overplay and just get tired of travelling and tired of just playing tournaments and just entering and, I don’t know, just doing people a favour just to be there with no aspirations. That’s not why I’m playing.” Federer replied when asked about his yet to be confirmed schedule for the clay swing.
“I want to play, if people see me, that they see the real me and a guy who is so excited that he’s there. So that’s a promise I made to myself that if I play tournaments, that’s how my mindset has to be and will be.”
Federer’s words are ones that come from experience. This year’s Indian Wells draw is his 124th appearance in a Masters 1000 tournament. Enduring a torrid 2016 season, it is evident how much a return to the tour means for the 35-year-old, who has an army of supporters wherever he plays around the world.
Declaring that he is still in the process of his comeback, it remains to be seen what the future has in store for Federer. A potential rise back to world No.1 is a possibility, but not a main priority at the moment. Federer is the first and so far only male player in history to spend more than 300 weeks at the top of the Emirates rankings.
“I’d love to be world No. 1 again. But anything else other than world No. 1 for me is not interesting. So that’s why the rankings is not a priority right now. It’s totally about being healthy, enjoying the tournaments I’m playing and trying to win Those.” He said.
Few can dispute the excitement surrounding Federer’s resurgence, but it is being met with a measured a calm and realistic response. That itself could prove to become a winning combination throughout 2017 for the 35-year-old.
Federer will play Stan Wawrinka in the final at Indian Wells on Sunday. He currently leads their head-to-head 19-4 and has enjoyed 14 consecutive wins over Wawrinka on a hard-court.
