Roger Federer is fired up for his comeback.
The 39-year-old Swiss superstar boarded a plane for Doha where he will play his first ATP match in 13 months next week.
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Before departure, Federer taped this video message sharing his state of mind ahead of his return.
“It’s been a year since I last traveled to any event,” a masked Federer said. “And I can tell you I’m very excited. And it’s maybe also a moment where I can maybe thank the people involved who made this possible.
“It’s been a long and hard road. I know I’m not at the finish line yet, but it’s good.”
‘I’m very excited…it’s been a long and hard road”@rogerfederer is ready for action 🙌pic.twitter.com/l7jyjY7G1v
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 5, 2021
“I feel like I’m in a good place,” Federer said. “I’ve been practicing very well and just really pumped up. I hope you guys are gonna tune in to watch it and hopefully I’ll see you soon. Take care everybody.”
Doha will be Federer’s first match since he fell to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals.
The father of two sets of twins underwent a pair of arthroscopic knee surgeries last year. Federer’s trainer, Pierre Paganini, told Swiss journalist Rene Stouffer Federer has been practicing at almost full strength in recent weeks.
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