On the request of Kuerten, Roger Federer readily agreed to join the ‘Vencendo Juntos’ campaign, which translates to ‘Winning Together’ in English. The initiative aims at raising $10 million to help 35,000 Brazilian families affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
During his interaction with Kuerten where he accepted the Brazilian’s invitation, Roger Federer confided that after suffering the injury in 2016, he had a difficult year and wondered if his career had drawn to a premature close.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion eventually managed to convince himself that the surgery was not going to end his career. He was, however, surprised at his successful return in 2017, which saw him win two Grand Slams in a season for the first time in eight years.
Roger Federer further told Kuerten that since it was the first surgery of his career, he was unsure about its aftermath. He further said that he was so disturbed by the surgery that he hoped he would never have another one during his career.
What necessitated Roger Federer’s surgery in 2016?
A day after losing to eventual winner Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinal, the then 34-year-old Roger Federer heard a ‘click’ in his left knee while taking his twin daughters to the bathroom.
Roger Federer then returned to Switzerland, where he was told to have a surgery on his injured knee. The right-hander admitted having nervousness tinged with sadness at the situation.
On waking up (after the surgery), Roger Federer felt scared at first as he had temporarily lost sensation in his leg. But the sensation returned soon enough, and that helped drive away his fear.
Eventually, positive thinking aided with regular exercise during an extended stay at home helped the Swiss return to the circuit stronger than ever before. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Four years later….it was deja vu again
Roger Federer started the 2020 season with a run to the Australian Open semifinals, where he fell to defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets. But days before he was scheduled to arrive at the Dubai Open for his title defence, the 38-year-old made an announcement regarding another surgery on a ‘bothersome’ right knee.
After an arthroscopic procedure on his troublesome knee, Roger Federer sounded upbeat about a full recovery. He even expressed plans of rejoining the tour during the grasscourt leg.
However, as things turned out, the COVID-19 outbreak forced the ATP to suspend the tour till the end of July.
Roger Federer is enjoying the rare downtime with his family in Switzerland. The right-hander admitted that he is not training at the moment as he doesn’t foresee the return of the tour any time soon.
0 votes
