Roger Federer Reveals His 'Main Focus' As He Falls Behind In Grand Slam Tally

Roger Federer has said his "main focus" right now is to make a comeback in tennis this year. Federer has not played since Wimbledon 2021 when he was eliminated after a straight-set defeat.

After undergoing two knee surgeries in 2020, Federer made a comeback last year. Unfortunately, just five tournaments into the year, the Swiss Master was forced to undergo another knee surgery. Federer is reportedly doing well in his rehabilitation and is aiming to return to action at the Laver Cup in September. This also means that he won't feature in the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the calendar year.

"Time will tell how I want to deal with this, how often I keep looking for interest. I think about that now sometimes, but not often. My main focus is on how to make my comeback in tennis. I work hard on that and I think about it every day. What feeling you get and how you react after such applause and a standing ovation, I still don't know that in advance," Federer told Het Parool, TennisHead reported.

Federer, who'll turn 41 next month, has confirmed he would participate at Basel Open in October.

The former World No. 1 Federer recently received one of the most rousing receptions during the Centre Court centennial celebrations last Sunday. While he was not new to such loud applause, he said he was "quite emotional" and revealed what Novak Djokovic said to him at that moment.

"Novak [Djokovic] also said that: a lot of us are nervous before such a parade. We don't do this every day either, we never get used to it. It remains uncertain, while all you have to do is walk a bit and say a few words. And I was quite emotional, although not everyone has seen that," the Swiss great said.

However, the eight-time Wimbledon champion went on to add that such attention and applause "never gets old" for athletes.

"You never tire of such attention. That is why it is also difficult for many athletes to stop. Or why do they keep playing demonstration matches. Because they love to perform. Because in the end we are not just tennis players, but also performers, entertainers," added Federer in the same interview.

Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in four sets to claim the Wimbledon 2022 men's singles title. With that, the Serbian star surpassed Federer in the list of most Grand Slam titles. Djokovic now has 21 major titles to his name, one more than Federer but is still a Grand Slam behind arch-rival Rafael Nadal.

Out of the first three Grand Slams this year, two have gone to Nadal, who was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon due to an abdominal issue. His withdrawal handed Kyrgios a walkover, who qualified for his maiden Grand Slam final. The Australian bagged the first set in the final before top-seeded Djokovic made an incredible return to win the next three sets and seal the final in Center Court at All England Club.