French Open 2021: Is Roger Federer mulling withdrawal?

Switzerland's Roger Federer is one of the modern-day greats, having won record 20 Grand Slams. He is currently playing the French Open that he has won on just an occasion. However, he could withdraw from it to focus on the upcoming Slam, Wimbledon.

Roger Federer of Switzerland is one of the modern-day greats of tennis, as he holds the records of having won the most Grand Slams (20) to date, along with Spain's Rafael Nadal. Despite turning 39, he still has the hunger of winning at least a Slam more.

Federer is currently taking part in the French Open, which he has won just once. So far, he has qualified for the pre-quarters, where he would take on Matteo Berrettini of Italy on Monday.

However, it is unclear whether Federer would take part in the tournament any further. He had an already intense game against Germany's Dominik Koepfer on Saturday that he won 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.

Meanwhile, Federer is coming off twin surgeries on his knee that kept him out of action for over a year. As he eyes a decent outing in the Wimbledon for a shot at his 21st Slam, he wishes to stay fit for the grass season ahead.

"I don't know if I am going to play. I have to decide whether or not to continue playing. Is it too risky to keep putting pressure on the knee? Is it a good time to rest? Every match, I have to reassess the situation and see the next morning in what state I wake up and how my knee is doing," Federer said after the win on Saturday.

Federer's participation at the French Open came as a surprise while he had time and again stated that he was focusing on the grass season ahead. However, he later admitted that he was using the platform of Roland Garros as a medium of warm-up for the grass.

Federer has always prioritised grass over the clay, winning eight Wimbledon titles and would be a favourite to win his ninth. However, it would be interesting to see how his knee behaves in the build-up to the season.

It would be wise to say that any further knee troubles could lead to the end of Federer's illustrious career. Although he would love to end it on a top note, with the last hurrah at the All England Club, Serbia's Novak Djokovic would be another contender, waiting to spoil Federer's party.

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