"Drive to play tennis is there, I am working as hard as I am allowed to & will know a lot more in April" - Roger Federer provides update on his comeback

Roger Federer provided an update regarding his comeback from knee surgery on Wednesday. The Swiss revealed that he is still keen to return to tennis once more and that he is working as hard as he can to make it happen.

The former World No. 1 last played a competitive tennis match back in July 2021 at the Wimbledon Championships. He suffered a quarter-final exit at the hands of Hubert Hurkacz, his first straight-sets defeat in Wimbledon in 19 years.

A knee injury forced the 20-time Grand Slam champion to go under the knife in August. The subsequent rehab process has forced the Swiss to miss the last two Grand Slams.

Speaking in an interview with his sponsor Credit Suisse during a Latin America Investment conference, the Swiss disclosed that he will have a clear idea of when he can start playing tennis again in the next couple of months.

The World No. 30 declared that in the meantime he was working on his fitness with gusto. He admitted that the process was slower than he would have liked, but felt that it was safer to err on the side of caution.

"The question of [when I can return to action] is better answered maybe by April or May. For now, the drive [to play tennis again] is there. I am really motivated to do my work, what I am allowed to do. I did all the workouts again this morning and I am back in the gym again tomorrow," Federer said.

"I am working as hard as I am allowed to, so it is still good times even though it is a bit slow. I would love to do way more but the doctors and everybody is holding me back a little bit," Federer said.

The 40-year-old remarked that even though he retains the motivation to play tennis, it was more important to listen to his body. The former World No. 1 added that he has not yet been allowed by his doctors to do more intense workouts.

"I feel like I will know a whole lot more coming April about where my body is going to be like. I wasn't really allowed to run yet and do heavy workload jumps, stop-and-go's," Federer said. "So I hope that is all going to start in a couple of weeks. We'll see how the body reacts to that and that's what I will need to return to the tennis court."

Roger Federer's ranking has dropped to its lowest since 2001

Roger Federer's ranking has hit a 21-year low of World No. 30

Seven months away from the game has taken a toll on Roger Federer's ATP ranking. The Swiss has fallen to World No. 30, his lowest ranking since 2001.

The former World No. 1 had reached the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open and his non-participation this year resulted in him losing 720 points. With a tally of only 1665 points, he has slipped 13 spots from his previous ranking of World No. 17.

If he does make a comeback, the 20-time Grand Slam champion does not have any points to defend in the second half of the season and will be able to climb up the rankings ladder once again.