The 20-time Major winner walked away in September 2022
Roger Federer has dropped a hint on social media that he could perform a U-turn on his retirement and make a sensational return to tennis.
The Swiss legend retired from the game in September 2022 with 20 Grand Slams and 103 ATP Tour titles to his name, cementing his status as one of the greatest players to have graced men’s tennis.
His collection of Majors has since been surpassed by Rafael Nadal (22) and Novak Djokovic (24), but Federer’s elegant style and classy demeanour makes him a unique character in the modern game.
He is still adored by tennis fans everywhere he goes, and so when the eight-time Wimbledon champion loosely suggested he could be making a comeback, fans went into overdrive.
Federer shared a tweet containing three emojis – a “soon” signal, a Christmas tree and a pair of eyes – and many interpreted this as a sign that he could be about to end his 18-month sabbatical.
The Swiss icon has already admitted he “doesn’t want to go away” from tennis, although he is yet to formalize his future in the sport – only attending events in an ambassadorial manner.
Thank you @dartmouth for the invitation and incredible honor to deliver the commencement speech to the 2024 graduating class 🌲#Dartmouth24s https://t.co/sKFJaqb4Ip
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) March 28, 2024
But Federer’s message on his official X account is the biggest hint he has given that he might be about to return to competitive action.
Will Federer return to tennis?
Federer had struggled with injuries towards the end of his career and decided to hang up his racket at the age of 41 after the Laver Cup, which offered an emotional farewell after fulfilling his dream of playing alongside his friendly rivals Nadal and Djokovic.
With that in mind, it seems unlikely the former world No 1 would have recovered from his long-standing knee issues and with Federer turning 43 in August, he would be nearly twice as old as some competitors.
Other theories have suggested he could join Djokovic’s team after the Serbian split with his long-serving coach Goran Ivanisevic. But with a flurry of sport documentaries being released on Netflix and Amazon Prime, perhaps one dedicated to Federer’s career is on the horizon.
