Roger Federer has ruled out making a sensational return to professional tennis. It comes months after Serena Williams came out of retirement to play doubles at London's Queen's Club. She has since returned to singles at Wimbledon, and also played doubles in Berlin and Cincinnati, teaming up with her sister, Venus at the latter event. And the Williams sisters are now set to compete in the upcoming US Open.
Federer's stance on a comeback
Federer and Serena were both in their prime at the same time, and retired just weeks apart from each other in 2022 – the American doing so in Flushing Meadows, while Federer said farewell at the Laver Cup shortly after. But while Serena has made a comeback, the Swiss star has no plans to copy her.
Now aged 45, Federer did return to the US Open earlier this week for an exhibition singles match against Andy Roddick, before they faced off in doubles with John McEnroe and Andre Agassi in tow. He also played a doubles exho at the Australian Open in January, and has plans for his annual celebrity match at the Shanghai Masters.
Federer's reasons for staying retired
But the friendlies are more than enough for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, who adamantly denied that he would ever follow in Serena's footsteps by requesting some wildcards for a comeback.
“No, no, no, no. No, not at all. Thanks for asking. I wasn't sure if the question was going to get asked, but I'm happy you did so I can clarify incase anybody thought! No, no, no. Not at all,” Federer laughed.
“And I think you anyway have to enter the doping pool [six months in advance]. There's way too many obstacles. I'm too busy. I'm barely finding time to play any exhos, so imagine a tour. And the body is done, you know. But I'm very happy [with] how I'm feeling, so all good and just a fan now. Just enjoying watching.”
Federer's tennis plans and Hall of Fame honour
The former world No. 1 certainly hasn't said farewell to tennis altogether, and enjoys turning up to tournaments whenever he can. “It's just nice to connect with the tennis community again, that's why I try to go to four, five events throughout the season,” Federer added.
The Swiss star also has some special plans while in the United States, as he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame during a special ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday.
“Getting inducted right away is obviously super special. It means a lot, and it's nice to look back, I guess, one more time, because life goes quick, especially when you have four children. You stop remembering what you did or what you've been through, so it's like going into a time machine and everything slows down and you can actually look back one more time,” he said.
