Roger Federer and his coaching team ‘positive’ and ‘planning for next season’, says Ivan Ljubicic
Thoughts of retirement briefly crossed Roger Federer’s mind this year, but that is now in the past and the 20-time Grand Slam winner is focused on making a return next year, according to his coach Ivan Ljubicic.
The Swiss great was forced to call a premature end to his 2020 tennis campaign after he underwent two knee operations in the space of a few months.
In an interview at the beginning of July, Federer admitted that he considered retirement, saying “I have had to consider if I really want to keep going (with my career)”.
However, in follow-up interviews he vowed to make a comeback in 2021 and planned to play both at Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics.
His long-time coach Ljubicic has also played down talk of retirement and says they are “positive” about next year.
“Everything is under control. We are planning the next season,” he told Novi List.
“It is a wish and a dream for everything to be like in 2017 (when Federer made a successful return to tennis following surgery), but it is clear that every situation is new.
“Anyway, we have one positive experience, so we are all positive.”
Ljubicic has been part of Federer’s coaching set-up since 2016 and insists he is fully committed to staying the course with the Swiss.
However, he will switch focus to his sports management company, LJ Sports Group, when the former world No 1 eventually calls it a day.
“Roger will be my last coaching job. My commitment to this project (LJ Sports Group) after Roger is absolute,” Ljubicic said.
“But Roger and I go further, my work with him is unquestionable and there are no problems there.
“After his career, I can dedicate myself one hundred percent to what makes me happy. Then I will be able to help the players in a way that we judge to be the best.
“At the moment, as far as the coaching part of the job is concerned, it’s exclusively Roger.”
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official.
Latest
-
Tennis NewsEmma Raducanu hailed as an ‘inspiration’ as Ana Bogdan reveals they ‘are both fans of Daniel Ricciardo’
“She is a great athlete and a great champion, I’m looking forward to the match.”
-
Tennis NewsAndy Murray gives his assessment after his Vienna Open exit, saying he needs to be ‘little bit more ruthless’
“I will start winning more and have some deep runs,” says determined Andy Murray.
-
ATP Tour‘He is another level’ – Nick Kyrgios sings Jannik Sinner’s praises as Italian continues impressive form
Nick Kyrgios impressed by Jannik Sinner.
-
Tennis NewsEmma Raducanu hoping to delay family visit as she targets progress in Romania
Raducanu is planning to visit her grandmother during her stay in Romania.
-
ATP TourAndy Murray fails to pull another rabbit out of the hat in Vienna as he is beaten by Carlos Alcaraz
Murray lost to the 18-year-old in straight sets.
-
WTA TourSimona Halep dismisses retirement rumours, saying: ‘I never said I would stop playing after the wedding party’
“I’m still motivated and still love tennis,” says Simona Halep.
-
Tennis NewsAlexander Zverev plays down Stefanos Tsitsipas snub as he names his current top hard-court players
No place for Stefanos Tsitsipas in Alexander Zverev’s list of top-three hard-court players.
-
Tennis NewsWATCH: Andy Murray on being bossed around by his children and why he was ‘very jealous’ of Emma Raducanu
Andy Murray plays a game of Q&A.
-
Australian OpenAnother day of contradictory messages about vaccination stance for the 2022 Australian Open
No one is quite sure what the official Australian Open stance is on unvaccinated players.
-
ATP TourStefanos Tsitsipas delighted with his offensive tennis and attitude during win over Grigor Dimitrov in Austria
Solid effort from Stefanos Tsitispas in Austria.