ROGER Federer will almost certainly miss the Australian Open for the second year in a row, with the Swiss maestro said to be recovering slowly from a third round of knee surgery in 18 months.
But Federer's long–time coach Ivan Ljubicic has played down fears the tennis world has seen the last of the 20–times grand slam champion, who turned 40 in August.
Federer has played just 13 matches in 2021 and not one since suffering a straight–sets quarter–final loss to Polish young gun Hubert Hurkacz in July.
The six–time Open champion's latest four–month lay–off comes after he spent a year on the sidelines following his record–setting 15th semi–final appearance at Melbourne Park in 2020.
"Roger Federer is very unlikely to play the Australian Open. He is 40 and doesn't recover as fast as before. But he wants to compete again and won't retire all of a sudden," Ljubicic told Sky Sport TV on Sunday.
"We will be able to see Roger again next year. I don't know when exactly, but he is undergoing rehabilitation. He is recovering slowly, he is not in a hurry."
The veteran superstar was still on crutches when he made a surprise appearance courtside at the Laver Cup in Boston in late September.
"Given that he was still on crutches, I doubt we'd see him here because he needs a longer prep to get ready for a grand slam than what he's going to be able to have," Australian doubles great turned commentator Todd Woodbridge told AAP. – AAP
