Roger Federer (Photo : Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Roger Federer may not be ready to walk away from tennis yet, but the Swiss Maestro already got a taste of retirement during his lengthy time off the court.
There were plenty of speculations about Federer retiring this season after the Swiss suffered setbacks, including a knee injury that derailed his campaign in 2016. With Federer returning at the Australian Open next year, rumors of retirement have been dismissed, but the Basel native admitted he experienced a bit of it during his months of lay-off.
"I did get that taste of retirement," Federer told The New York Times. "All of the sudden, I could be organized and say: 'O.K., we're going to be four weeks at home in a row in the same place. Who do you want to go for dinner with, Mirka? Or who shall we catch up with?"
Fans could still get to witness Federer's greatness for a few more years. Federer has hinted he plans on playing until at least 2018 after the 17-time Grand Slam winner admitted he is looking towards the creation of a 10,000-seater arena set to be completed in two years in his hometown of Basel.
"That would be a good goal to which I could work towards. The Swiss Indoors was one of my first tournaments on the tour, and I hope that they will also be one of the last," Federer said last year after defeating career rival Rafael Nadal in the final round of the Swiss Indoors.
It is also worth noting that Federer was helping Nike earlier this year to design his outfit for the 2018 US Open, implying that he still plans on competing at the Tour for two more years.
Eurosport commie says that Roger is currently helping Nike to design his outfit for the US Open... 2018.
— LetsTalkTennis (@letstalktennis1) June 17, 2016
However, while there is optimism about Federer playing for a few more seasons, recent injuries have marred his chances of adding another major to his all-time record of Grand Slam singles titles. Nevertheless, any sighting of Federer for the next two years, whether it be on a winning moment or not, would surely be a pleasure to fans around the world.
