Novak Djokovic says Roger Federer will NOT retire in 2021, expects Majors fight from him

It's been a tough year for the 'Big Three' of tennis. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, sports has come to a standstill and sportspersons around the world have been hesitant to return to the courts in fear of contracting the deadly virus. After the audience-less resumption of tennis at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, both Nadal and Roger Federer, refused to come back to the court, citing personal reasons. 

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Federer injury: Swiss maestro to skip entire 2020 season including French Open

After skipping the Cincinnati Masters as well as the US Open, Roger Federer was expected to make a comeback for the now-cancelled grass-court season. Hoping to play on his favourite surface, Federer did not make any statements regarding his injury or how long he would sit out. Seeing as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club have cancelled their marquee event, Wiimbledon, there was some doubt whether as to whether Federer would return to the tour at all.

On June 10, 2020, the Swiss Maestro took to Twitter to put out a statement confirming that he had undergone two arthroscopic procedures on his knee and would be sitting out the rest of the year so he could have all the rest he needed to recuperate. His last match was against World No.1 Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open early this year. Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets at the semi-final and the former eventually won the final too. It was Djokovic's 17th Grand Slam title and his record eighth Australian Open title. 

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Novak Djokovic won't count Roger Federer out

At the age of 39, Roger Federer is the oldest man within the top 100 rankings of the ATP Tour. Having undergone two major knee surgeries at this age and returning to the circuit after almost a year-long break, will not be easy even for Federer. However, at a time when retirement rumours start making the rounds, Novak Djokovic says he is sure that Federer will be back fighting for major titles in 2021. Federer went through a similar phase in 2016 when he had to undergo some procedures on his knee and back. 

It was the first time since 2002 that he had dropped out of the top 10 rankings of the ATP and endured an entire season without a title win. This will be his second. Despite that, Federer made a rousing comeback in 2017, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in the same year. Going by this, next year should be no different.

Recognizing Federer's resistance, Novak Djokovic was quoted by a Serbian media outlet as saying: “Regardless of his age, he’s always the favourite. You know, if he feels good physically, he should be up there fighting for the titles. Roger keeps on proving to everyone that he can make it. The race for most Major trophies is there, and it should be a great one if all three of us remain healthy for a couple more years.”

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Djokovic vs Federer head to head

Djokovic currently leads the head to head against Roger Federer with a slim margin of 27-23. If all goes well for him, he might surpass Federer’s total weeks as world number one next year and have one more Grand Slam title to his name by the time Federer returns to tennis, making him just two titles short of Federer's 20. 

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Image Credits: ATP Tour website