"That is the idea": Roger Federer has designs to compete in 2023

THE BREAK FLASHBACK: Federer in Africa

Roger Federer plans to play on tour in 2023 if his knee allows, building on a comeback scheduled at the Laver Cup and the ATP event in Basel this season.

"Yes, definitely," he told Tages Anzeiger in an interview. "That is the idea."

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played since having a third surgery on his right knee in 2021, following a quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon.

Federer added that he is currently concentrating on his physical conditioning, and has not decided on a schedule for next year.

"It’s important for me to get fit again so that I can train fully. Once I’ve done that, I can decide the amount of tournaments I play and where," he said, though recently indicating he is likely to play a limited amount of events.

"I have already come a long way. I’m not far. The next three or four months will be extremely important."

Federer also told SRF that while he has had to go slowly in his recovery, he is now training four or five days a week.

"I'm making constant progress," he said.

Federer will be unranked when he returns, as his 2019 Halle and Wimbledon points will drop off on June 20 and July 11.