John McEnroe tips Roger Federer for return, saying: ‘He’s pulled off the improbable before’

John McEnroe says Roger Federer has ‘pulled off the improbable’ before so he won’t be writing him off if he decides to complete a return to tennis.

Federer has only played a handful of tournaments since February 2020 when he underwent the first of three operations on his knee.

That period of time includes a failed comeback attempt in 2021 too, and questions still remain over whether he will be able to return at all.

Federer himself plans on playing the Laver Cup in September and then Basel before making a full return to the ATP Tour in 2023.

It remains to be seen whether that is possible, but John McEnroe says he has been proved wrong enough times by Federer before to make any predictions now.

Speaking about Roger Federer ahead of Wimbledon, John McEnroe said: “He’s 40 years old.

“He’s had numerous surgeries on his knee, there’s a lot of wear and tear, it would be unbelievable if he could come back and get close to the level that he was at.

“I thought the same thing five years ago when I was coaching [Milos] Raonic and Roger walked off after the Wimbledon semi-finals [in 2016] and was limping and didn’t play for six months. Then he won the Australian Open.

“He’s pulled off the improbable before but this would be the most amazing of all if he was to win another Wimbledon.

“Whatever makes him happy is what he deserves. If he wants to play we will be happy he is playing but I don’t want to see Roger at 80 per cent.

“We have seen that with [Andy] Murray and it’s not easy. You want to see the top guys play at their best.”