Comeback not in the plan for Federer

Roger Federer has no plans for a mid-40s comeback, with the retired icon happy to limit his on-court time to a Tuesday exhibition prior during the US Open run-up week.

The 45-year-old Swiss quit the sport in 2022, will pickup a racquet for the fist time prior to his induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame at the weekend.

And the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles judged as perhaps the best to ever play, admits he got some butterflies.

“I haven’t played a singles set in, I don’t know, (Hubert) Hurkacz at Wimbledon maybe, so it’s been five years,” Federer said on Monday.

“I don’t know how it’s going to go tomorrow. So there is a lot of uncertainty but a lot of happiness that I can return to Arthur Ashe, a place where I have had so many beautiful moments.”

Federer’s appearance will comprise one set against former rival Andy Roddick and a set of doubles alongside John McEnroe against Roddick and Andre Agassi.

The Swiss made sure to clarify that he would not be embarking on any kind of a comeback as have contemporaries Venus and Serena Williams – admittedly with little or no success.

“Thanks for asking,” he told a media conference at the US Open site.

“I wasn’t sure if the question was going to get asked, but I’m happy you did so I can clarify in case anybody thought,,,,,,,.”

Federer won the Flushing Meadows title uninterruptedly from 2004 through 2008 and reached two more finals.

Main photo:- Roger Federer’s penultimate title was in Halle 2021.