Roger Federer confirms presence at Swiss Indoors 2022, enters the tournament with a protected ranking

Roger Federer has been confirmed to play at the Swiss Indoors this year, for the first time in three years in front of his home fans. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is scheduled to participate in the Laver Cup from September 23 to 25, following which he will be in Basel for the ATP 500 tournament between October 24 and 30.

The former World No. 1 hasn't competed since the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz. The Swiss has since undergone multiple knee surgeries and is currently training following a lengthy rehab process.

In a statement released to the public, the Swiss Indoors organizers revealed that the World No. 41 will officially make his comeback at the event this year as the three-time defending champion. The tournament did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

Roger Federer will enter the event with a protected ranking of World No. 9 and will play his first match on October 25 (Tuesday). If he gets through to the second round, the 40-year-old will play his next match on the 27th. Tickets for the tournament are scheduled to go on sale from 8 am local time on April 27, both online and through offline outlets throughout the country.

Speaking to Swiss daily newspaper Tages Anzeiger, as reported by Rene Stauffer, tournament director Roger Brennwald commented that an agreement was reached between the two parties after all the necessary negotiations.

Brennwald further noted that they took the former World No. 1's injury recovery into consideration, and only announced his entry into the tournament after receiving confirmation that he'd be fully fit.

"We have reached an agreement in the interests of both parties, which was negotiated fairly. We had to wait for developments that are beyond our control - such as the pandemic, the war or Roger Federer's injury," Brennwald said. "But now we are in a very positive mood for this autumn. In May, the starting signal for revival will be given in close cooperation with the sponsors."

Roger Federer is a 10-time winner at the Swiss Indoors

Roger Federer is a 10-time winner at the Swiss Indoors

Roger Federer has reached the final at the Swiss Indoors 15 times till date, out of which he has lifted the trophy on 10 occasions. After finishing as the runner-up in 2000 and 2001, the 20-time Grand Slam champion won the title three times on the trot between 2006 and 2008.

The World No. 41 finished second-best to Novak Djokovic the following year, but came back strongly to win the title in 2010 and 2011. Both the 2012 and 2013 editions witnessed the 40-year-old lose to Juan Martin del Potro in the final, following which he went all the way in 2014 and 2015.

The former World No. 1 then completed a hat-trick between 2017 and 2019 after skipping the 2016 edition, meaning that the Swiss will be on a 25-match win-streak at the tournament when he shows up this year.