Roger Federer hopes to play Wimbledon 'one more time'

LONDON, July 03 (AFP): Roger Federer said Sunday he hopes to play Wimbledon "one more time" despite being sidelined for a year with a knee injury.
"I hope I can come back one more time. I've missed it here," said the eight-time champion as he attended a special ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of Centre Court. The 40-year-old winner of 20 Grand Slam titles has been out of action since a quarter-final loss at the tournament in 2021 before undergoing another bout of knee surgery. He plans to return to action at the Laver Cup in London in September and then take part in his home tournament at Basel.
"I knew walking out here last year, it was going to be a tough year ahead," said Federer, who received a standing ovation when he entered the court.
"I maybe didn't think it was going to take this long to come back -- the knee has been rough on me."
Federer, dressed in a dark suit, was one of a host of Wimbledon champions at the ceremony that preceded the programme of matches on middle Sunday, established from this year as a permanent feature.