Roger Federer confirms his return to ATP Tour and Grand Slams in 2023

Roger Federer of Switzerland has deprived his fans of his intriguing tennis due to his unfortunate knee injury that needed multiple surgeries. He has been out of action for nearly a year and is expected to return later this year. In contrast, he had already confirmed his participation in the Swiss Indoors Basel (ATP 500) event. However, on the same lines, he has also confirmed his return to full-time competitive and top-tier tennis, which includes the ATP Tour and Grand Slams, from next year. Meanwhile, he has yet to prepare his scheduling plans for participating in the Laver Cup and Basel.

Federer, who last played competitive tennis since July 2021 following his knockout to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the Wimbledon quarters, told Tages-Anzeiger, "Yes, definitely [I will return full-time in 2023]. How and where I don't know yet. But that would be the idea. I haven't planned more than the Laver Cup and Basel yet."

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"After Basel, the season is over anyway. I need to get fit again so that I can train fully. Once I've done that, I can choose how many tournaments I play and where. The Laver Cup is a good start. I don't have to play five matches in six days. I will have to be able to do that in Basel. But I'm hopeful. I've come a long way. I'm not far away," added Federer.

Federer also heaped praise on his friend Rafael Nadal of Spain, who won his record-extending 22nd Slam by winning his 14th French Open title. "In general, it's just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved. The record of Pete Sampras, which I beat, was 14 Grand Slam titles. Now, Rafa won the French Open 14 times. That's unbelievable. I was happy for him that he did it again. Hats off to Rafa. After the 10th and 11th, I already thought, 'This can't be'. He keeps raising the bar. It's gigantic."