“Always interesting whom you meet”- Swiss journalist Nicole Berchtold left awestruck on meeting Roger Federer

Roger Federer and Nicole Berchtold

After nearly six months on the sidelines, Roger Federer finally gave an update about his comeback through an Instagram video. The Swiss Maestro was working on his forehand as he geared up for his long-awaited return. Just days after he gave a glimpse about his progress, Federer was seen at a promotional event in Zurich.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was attending an event on behalf of Sunrise, Switzerland’s largest telecom operator. He has been their brand ambassador since 2014 and was at the event on behalf of Sunrise as well as his own brand. Federer was seen sporting a plaid classic blazer and was all smiles at the event with the iconic RF logo in the backdrop.

Swiss TV journalist and presenter, Nicole Berchtold posted a snap of herself and Federer at the event and she was star-struck on meeting the Swiss maestro. “Well always interesting whom you meet.”

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Federer has been largely absent from tour after the latter stages of his career being plagued by injuries. He seems to have reached the twilight in terms of his tennis career, but there is no dearth of sponsorships for the 40-year-old. He was in the top-10 of the Forbes highest-paid athletes in 2021 and was the top-ranked tennis player, despite playing only 13 matches that year. His inactivity from tour certainly has not taken a hit on his brand value.

Roger Federer likely to miss Wimbledon

Tennis fans finally got a glimpse of Federer on the courts, after the Swiss Maestro was posted a short clip of him sweating it out on the practice courts. The 40-year-old hasn’t played a match in 8 months since his quarter-final exit at the Wimbledon 2021 to Hubert Hurcakz. He underwent go a surgery following that after his knee injury was exacerbated. It was his second surgery in less than a year and this seems to have taken a toll on the Swiss Maestro. Earlier, Federer’s coach hinted that a comeback at Wimbledon is highly unlikely and said Federer is still in the rehab phase. A comeback at the US Open would be in the fray for the 5-time champion, with enough time to recover before the final Grand Slam of the year that takes place in September.

While he has played only a handful of matches since over the past two years, surprisingly Federer received a ranking boost in the recently updated ATP rankings. He has risen up to the 26th spot, but most likely will be out of the top-40 after the end of the Miami Open, where he is defending 500 points from his title triumph in 2019.