‘I think the Australian Open is not a real possibility right now,’ says Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic

Australian Open
Roger Federer wiping his face

Roger Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic has given an update on the 20-time Grand Slam winner’s fitness and chances of competing at the 2022 Australian Open.

Former world No 1 Federer has not played competitive tennis since losing in the quarter-final at Wimbledon as he opted to undergo a third operation on his knee.

In his last fitness update in September, the 40-year-old said the “worst is behind me”, but vowed not to rush his comeback, and Ljubicic has admitted that the tennis great is unlikely to play at the season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park next year.

“I think there are very few chances, he is still recovering and knowing him, he wants to be sure he can play to win the tournament and be at 100%,” he told Stats Perform.

“So I think the Australian Open is not a real possibility right now. But he will go step by step because he is 40 years old now and he needs to be patient. He cannot recover as quickly as he used to.”

Six-time Australian Open winner Federer also missed this year’s edition and it remains to be seen if his Australian fans will see him live in action again, but there is good news for his global fan base.

Ljubicic is confident that tennis fans will see him in action again.

He added: “We have spoken and I can guarantee he wants to return to playing tennis. When he decides to stop he will retire, but I don’t think it’s going to happen all of a sudden.”

Roger Federer

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