Roger Federer confirmed rumors that all is not well with his knee. His recovery is going slower than planned. This means that he may miss the 2021 Australian Open.

I would have hoped I would be 100 per cent by October but I’m not today. It will be complicated for the Australian Open. I don’t want to take the next step until I’m ready. These three weeks could help me a bit.

– Roger Federer

Federer said that he plans to play at Wimbledon, the Olympics, and the US Open. Participating at the Tokyo Olympics remains a priority for Federer given his main sponsor Uniqlo is a Japanese company and his love for the Olympics.

Until his comments, Federer had remained silent on his health status. He has been practicing in recent weeks with Ivo Heuberger, who retired in 2008. In prior years, Federer would fly in ATP players for practice. Not this year.

Federer also typically practices in Dubai around this time of the year. But that’s not been the case this year.  There have been some reports suggesting that Federer needs to increase his playing intensity quite a bit to be competitive at the ATP level.

Federer made some comments about his career that have caused a lot of concern among his fans. Last night, after winning the award for the Best Swiss Athlete in 70 years, Federer seemed to suggest that he will be fine if his career ended with the award.

I hope there is still something to see from me next year. But if that was it, that would have been an incredible ending for me at these Sports Awards.

– Roger Federer

Is his injury so serious that his career is in doubt?  He is pushing almost 40 and will have been away from the tour for about a year if he returns in March.

Will Federer return if his knee is not back to 100% and can’t play at his best? As always, Federer appears to remain calm but that can’t be said for his fans.