Retiring tennis legend Roger Federer could miss his final competitive appearance

Roger Federer’s final competitive appearance on a tennis court is in doubt after his long-time trainer revealed a last-minute decision will be made over his participation in the Laver Cup.

Federer, one of the greatest players of all time, will retire from top-level tennis after the Laver Cup, which takes place on September 23-25 at London’s O2 Arena.

‘He will probably decide that at the last moment,’ Pierre Paganini told Blick. ‘He is trained to have as much information as possible about whether it’s a good idea or not.

‘Since July, when he started combining the different training elements, he has noticed that he has to make more and more detours and put in extra effort. He had to make greater efforts for relatively low intensity.

‘I think it’s a smart decision. It’s not just about the knee. Roger has played a lot of matches in his career and put his body under extreme strain.

‘He’s had to put in an incredible amount of effort in recent years to compete at a world-class level.

‘Imagine how many training sessions a top athlete has done up to the age of 41. It’s a miracle to me how he’s done for the past five years.’

More to follow…

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.