Roger Federer has hinted that he could be back on a tennis court as early as next year – and could be joined by his greatest rival, Rafael Nadal. The Swiss superstar retired from professional tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup after teaming up with Nadal in a doubles match. Federer was forced to retire after he failed to recover from an ongoing knee injury, having had three surgeries in less than two years.
The 20-time Major winner always wanted to return to the court to play some exhibition matches when his knee allowed. And Federer has now shared a promising update on his recovery process, having been spotted on the tennis court more and more in recent months.
“My knee feels better. I’m playing much more tennis again now. In the summer I played occasionally with Ivo Heuberger. Because my children are playing more often and better now, I join them from time to time, too,” the 44-year-old told Tages Anzeiger.
Federer is now trying to get his body ready to take things up a notch and play some exhibition matches next year – and he’s even planning to get back in touch with his old fitness trainer, Pierre Paganini.
He added: “My goal is still to be able to play a few exhibitions again. Maybe something will happen in 2026. I’m now doing a mini build-up until the end of the year. Maybe I need to call Pierre and ask him: ‘What exactly do I need to do now? I’ve forgotten everything’. Yes, I’ll probably actually call him next week!”
The former world No. 1 has already played some doubles friendlies at the Shanghai Masters, where he is a tournament ambassador. But Federer has yet to link up with any of his old rivals and sell tickets to an exhibition match – and he could ask Nadal to get back on the court with him.
“It would be nice if it worked out. If we now played exhibitions after our careers, we’d have more time and wouldn’t have to immediately rush to the next thing,” Federer explained.
“I could imagine combining the whole thing with a good cause, raising money for my foundation and inspiring kids. At the moment nothing concrete is planned. But I see a few cool things that could come from it.”