Roger Federer has never in his career wanted a break from tennis, says coach Severin Luthi

Things are quiet for Roger Federer on the tennis front right now. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will be sitting out the rest of the 2020 season, having undergone multiple surgeries on his right knee.

During his downtime Federer has waded into new territories, keeping himself busy with the launch of his shoe - The Roger - in partnership with Swiss company 'On'.

Against that backdrop, Severin Luthi recently discussed how Roger Federer is coping with his knee injury rehabilitation. Speaking to Smash Magazine, the all-important member of Roger Federer's coaching team revealed that in a career spanning over two decades, the Swiss has never complained nor wished for a break from tennis.

The sole focus for Luthi and the rest of the team right now is to ensure that Roger Federer is 100% ready to make a comeback in 2021. The multiple injury issues in recent times have led to speculation about Federer's retirement, but Luthi shot down any such suggestions.

"My feeling is absolutely that this (early retirement) won‘t be the case at all," Luthi said. "He (Federer) still loves the life on the tour a lot. Nearly every player says at some point that he needs to go home as he would need a break. I haven't heard this once from him in all the years. He makes it pleasant for himself on the tour, he knows many people, has friends everywhere. But of course you can‘t rule it out 100%."

The timing of Roger Federer's injury was ideal: Severin Luthi

Roger Federer with Severin Luthi

The world has been paralyzed ever since the coronavirus pandemic has taken over. With the ATP calendar severely disrupted, there hasn't been much tennis to miss out on this year - which has conspired to act in favor of Roger Federer during his injury break.

"If someone has an injury, 2020 was an ideal year in retrospect, especially considering the rankings," Severin Luthi admitted.

Luthi also mentioned that although Roger Federer misses playing tennis, he won't get too affected because the 20-time Grand Slam champion doesn't frustrate easily.

"It doesn't have a big influence on him (Roger Federer) personally though. He isn't the person who is sitting at home, being frustrated and thinking: they are playing but I can't," Severin Luthi explained.

This isn't the first instance of a knee injury for Roger Federer, as the Swiss had to undergo similar troubles in 2016 when he took a six-month hiatus. Luthi talked about the similarities between the two injury breaks, and how the Swiss can implement the lessons learned from last time.

"There are certain parallels for sure," Luthi said. "Both times he had surgery, both times there was a setback in rehab and in both cases it was obvious, that it would need more time to get back to 100%. Maybe he can benefit a bit from 2016 this time."

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the 2017 Australian Open

The 2016 break had, of course, worked wonders for Roger Federer as he came back stronger than ever in 2017. He lifted the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies that year, and finished as No. 2 in the ATP rankings.

Federer has hopes of a similar recovery this time as well, and is already looking forward to making a big comeback in 2021.

"From Day 1, when he decided to cancel the season, he was looking ahead," Luthi said. "He directly switched, there weren't any doubts. You immediately felt the joy that he can now spend more time with the family and the other positive aspects."

Roger Federer is ambitious, but also cheerful: Severin Luthi

Roger Federer

There is never a low moment with Roger Federer around, and Severin Luthi finds this to be the most charming factor about the great champion. A month shy of turning 39, Federer hasn't lost any of his passion for playing tennis; even now he practises with the enthusiasm of a junior, according to his coach.

"He is just like this as a person, he doesn't have to talk himself into believing it... when the positive goes into carelessness and the ambition is missing, the whole puzzle doesn't work. His mixture is something really special: He is very ambitious, but also cheerful; such combination you don‘t find that often," Severin Luthi remarked.