by Bob Stockton
@BobStockton10s
Since the early 2000s, Roger Federer has nearly always been seeded in the tournaments he has played in. So much so that its hard to think of Federer as anything but seeded, more so on the hard courts of the Australian Open, where he has entered as a seeded player for 18 consecutive years. That run, unfortunately, is likely to end at the 2021 Australian Open.
“Thirty-nine ain’t what it used to be, that’s for sure,” says analyst and former tennis coach Brad Gilbert. “But if tennis gets going again, he’ll probably be unseeded for the Australian Open in ’21 because he played so little early this year. And that could mean trouble.”
Federer, of course, is done for the year after getting a second surgery on his troublesome right knee. “A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure,” Federer announced on social media. “I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly, but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.”
The 2021 season will likely start with Federer entering the Australian Open unseeded. That being said, the Swiss ace is no ordinary 39-year-old. Federer is an all-time great, a 20-time Grand Slam champion with six Australian Open titles to his name (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018).
Just last year, in fact, Federer added one more piece of hardware to his impressive trophy collection by winning the Swiss Indoors for a 10th time. Then, in this year’s Australian Open, Federer reached the semi-finals, where he was hindered by a groin ailment and lost to in-form world number 1 Novak Djokovic. Despite his injury woes, Federer looked sharp early on, even taking a 5-2 lead in the first set, before eventually faltering to a 7-6 (1-7), 6-4, 6-3 loss at the hands of the eventual champion. Even in defeat, the Swiss Maestro showed he still has something in the tank, and remains a tough opponent.
Federer has been remarkably resilient throughout his career. He has time and again proved that he can overcome any and all adversity, like his battle with mononucleosis in 2008 – an injury had a major impact on his 2013 campaign, and recurring knee pain in 2016. This is why, despite his lack of court time this season, Bwin lists Federer as the fourth favorite to win the 2021 Australian Open, just behind Djokovic (8-time Australian Open champ), Rafael Nadal (world number 2 and 1-time Australian Open champ), and Dominic Thiem (world number 3). The fact that Federer remains a favorite for 2021’s first Slam is a clear demonstration of how he is still considered one of the best players in tennis.
Seeded or not, it seems premature to write off this legend completely. Yes, Federer is approaching 40, and has been slowed down by injury. But the otherworldly talent is still there, as is his passion for the sport. This time off might just be what he needs to make one final push in 2021 — possibly the last in Federer’s illustrious, unparalleled career.
