In a way Federer’s knee surgery hiatus plays perfectly into his schedule. He undergoes surgery on his knee, and then will find himself coming back just in time for his favorite tournament – Wimbledon. Now, sometimes history has a way of repeating itself. And if we go back to the last time Roger had surgery on his knee and came back on tour, he subsequently won two Australian Opens and a Wimbledon title. Last time around people were definitely not expecting Federer to come back as strong as he did. Granted, he was a bit younger last time around, but not by much. He was still in his mid-thirties.

So, now a few years older, and with the same hunger, Federer will be skipping the March hard court swing as well as the clay season. That’s no biggie for Federer. Historically, and since coming back from knee surgery, Federer has decided to skip the clay court season mostly for fear of injury and the fact that at his age, winning the French is just not in the cards.

In a way it’s fitting that Federer returns in time for Wimbledon, a tournament he’s won eight times, and will still be favorite to win alongside Novak Djokovic. He has also committed to the US Open and the Laver Cup. The only concern would be the type of draw he gets coming into Wimbledon, because he’s got some ranking points to defend from last year’s March hard court swing and the French Open where he reached the semis in 2019. He should still manage to be seeded in the top eight. However, hopefully for him, he does not draw Djokovic in the quarters.

Nevertheless, it will be fascinating to see how Federer comes back from this latest injury setback. It would be great to see him win another Wimbledon before he retires. He still has the game to do so. Will be mentally ready after a three-month layoff? I wouldn’t bet against him.