It was a rough 2020 for Roger Federer, and the start of 2021 may not be much better. Speaking at an awards ceremony on Sunday in Switzerland—where the 39-year-old was honored as Switzerland's greatest athlete of the past 70 years—Federer cast doubt on whether he would be healthy enough to compete in the 2021 Australian Open.
The six-time Melbourne champion has not competed on tour since February due to a right knee injury, but hoped that the 2021 edition of the major would be his comeback.
"But I still am not [100 percent] today. It will be tight for the Australian Open," Federer said. He also hinted that a comeback might not happen at all, but his priority is for the summer swing.
However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion did seem excited "for what's to come."
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Excited for what’s to come????#thisistennis @atptour pic.twitter.com/vFEfJVRjxj — Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) December 11, 2020
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Federer's last ATP match at the Australian Open was against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals where the Swiss lost in straight sets.