Is Federer’s career over?

It’s not a stupid question when you hear that Federer has pulled out of Cincinnati and Toronto due to a knee injury. Is Federer’s career over?

I’m keen to hear what you think, is Federer’s career over? After all, these knee issues don’t seem to go away. Federer turns 40  on August 8th and although he reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals this year, these types of ongoing injuries can end a player’s career, especially at an “advanced” age.

But if you look at Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Murray, you get some hope back again. They refuse to give up, despite massively frustrating injury concerns, multiple surgeries, setbacks, and moments of heartbreak. They keep working because they love to play tennis. And if we know anything about Roger Federer, it is that he loves to play tennis. That’s why I would be hopeful that he will keep working hard on coming back and with the strong team he has, he should be able to also play competitive tennis in 2022.

Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if 2022 was his last year on tour.

When should you quit?

Many journalists and so-called journalists (the definition is increasingly vague these days with clickbaity articles written by AI engines or people without any education or knowledge in journalism. Having worked for magazines, newspapers and radio stations and studied it at University back in the day when it was still somewhat “respectable”, you get frustrated with the questions you hear put to tennis players in press conferences just to get a headline. Many journalists or pundits also want to weigh in on when a player should quit. This has happened to Andy Murray on multiple occasions after he decided to stay on the tour despite his hip issues and time away from the game.

In my book it’s easy. You quit when you want to quit. If you want to play tennis professionally, even when you can’t be as competitive as you once were, knock yourself out and have fun. It’s a sport. We all do it because we think it’s fun. Okay, maybe not Bernard Tomic, but you know what I mean.

That’s why I hope Federer pushes through his injury woes and comes back and tries to get as many healthy months of play as his body allows. We all know that his scheduling is top-notch, so I don’t think there is a huge risk of over-playing! :)

Fingers crossed for more moments of “Federer in full flight”…