Fitness coach Pierre Panini confirmed that veteran Swiss tennis star Roger Federer will make a “last-minute decision” about his participation in the Laver Cup next week.
Federer, winner of 20 Grand Slam titles, announced last Thursday that he would retire from tennis after the Laver Cup.
But Federer has not participated in any tournament since the 2021 Wimbledon, after which he underwent a third knee surgery.
Panini raised doubts about Federer’s participation in the Laver Cup, which was scheduled to witness him playing alongside the likes of Serbian Novak Djokovic, Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Scottish Andy Murray, before announcing his retirement after that.
“It will probably be a last minute decision,” Panini told Blick newspaper on Monday.
Federer, 41, has racked up staggering strides throughout his career as he won 103 ATP World Championships titles, placing him second in the list of players with the most titles in the Open Era behind Jimmy Connors’ 109 titles.
Federer’s accomplishments included staying for 750 weeks in the world’s top ten ranked list, in a record number.
But Panini noted, “it became clear that a return was impossible” by last July, after the effects of the infection worsened.
For his part, coach Severin Luthi spoke more positively about Federer’s career and told the newspaper “Blick”: “He aspires to play, but we will see if he will participate in the singles or doubles category. He still aspires to participate in the Laver Cup for sure.”