Roger Federer says he hopes to return to action by the end of the summer, with his recovery from knee surgery all but guaranteed to rule the 20-time grand slam winner out of Wimbledon.
The 40-year-old underwent surgery on his right knee for the third time last August, and has missed five of the last seven grand slams.
Federer was spotted at a skiing event in his native Switzerland, where fans came out in force to pose for selfies with the 20-time major winner.
The 40-year-old made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, but coach Severin Luthi recently said that he “can’t imagine” the eight-time Wimbledon winner featuring in London this year.
Federer has now provided an update on his likely return to action in news that has fans excited, following that initial disappointment.
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster SRF about his recovery from a third knee surgery, Federer said he was targeting a return at end of the European summer or start of autumn.
The news means he could make a comeback for the US Open, which starts in New York on August 29.
Federer insisted that he feels “positive” about his return to the court whatever date that might be.
“It will certainly be a while,” Federer said. “The end of the summer, early autumn, [that’s] where I’m aiming for a comeback.
“It’s [the knee] fine. Much better. Obviously, I was on crutches for two months, so you have to start from the bottom.
“It [the surgery] was certainly the right thing to do, the knee wasn’t right after Wimbledon, so it couldn’t go on.
“Currently I’m in three parts. First, the whole rehab, getting back on your feet at the beginning. Then afterwards, learning to walk and building up the whole thing.
