1976 French Open champion Adriano Panatta says he wishes Roger Federer all the best but suggests he fears the Swiss may experience the same fate as Serena Williams. Williams, 40, was out for 12 months before she returned to competitve action at Wimbledon.
In the Wimbledon first round, Williams suffered a defeat to Harmony Tan. Federer, who underwent a knee surgery 12 months ago and will be turning 41 next month, is targeting to make his comeback at the Laver Cup in September.
Federer is a true icon and one of the greatest champions in tennis history and Panatta doesn’t want the Swiss to go out on an unimpressive way. “Roger Federer is one of the reasons why I continued to love tennis,” Adriano Panatta told Gazzetta dello Sport, per Tennishead.
“I wish him happiness, he has an extraordinary career behind him and a wonderful family next to him. There is a time for everything. [But] we have already given up with Serena Williams, I hope not to see a replica”.
Federer hopes to play at Wimbledon for at least one more time
For the first time since 1998, Federer wasn’t competing at Wimbledon. This year, the Wimbledon’s Centre Court celebrated its 100th anniversary. Federer was one of the players that took part in the special ceremony and there he expressed his hope of returning to the tournament at least one more time before he retires.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches here,” Federer said. “It feels awkward to be here in a different type of role. This court has given me my biggest wins and my biggest losses. I hope I can come back one more time.
I miss being here. I didn’t think it would take this long to come back; this year has been rough on me. I didn’t know if I should make the trip, but I’m happy to be standing here today”.
