Roger Federer returning to his Grand Slam-winning best would be “unbelievable”, according to legendary former world No 1 John McEnroe. Seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe believes Federer winning a ninth Wimbledon title would surpass all his previous achievements in the sport.
Federer is currently on the road to recovery after undergoing further knee surgery last year.
The Swiss is unlikely to return until mid-2022 to put his participation at Wimbledon in doubt.
Federer has not added to his 20 Grand Slam singles titles since the 2018 Australian Open.
McEnroe would love to see the 40-year-old back on court but admits it would be far-fetched for him to return to his previous heights after multiple surgeries.
“It goes without saying that anytime we are at an event where Roger is not playing we miss him,” McEnroe told Eurosport.
“He is the classiest player and the most beautiful player I have seen on a court. As a fan I would love to see Roger around.
“As far as the future, he’s 40 years old. He’s had numerous surgeries on his knee, there’s a lot of wear and tear, it would be unbelievable if he could come back and get close to the level that he was at.
“I thought the same thing five years ago when I was coaching [Milos] Raonic and Roger walked off after the Wimbledon semi-finals [in 2016] and was limping and didn’t play for six months. Then he won the Australian Open.”
