Roger Federer says he 'definitely' plans to return to competition in 2023

Roger Federer hasn't competed since his quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon in 2021, but he says his return to action is coming soon.

Federer, 41, will team up with Rafael Nadal to play doubles at the Laver Cup in September and then he'll play in his home country at Swiss Indoors Basel in October. But the 20-time Grand Slam champion plans to wait until 2023 for his return to top-level tournaments.

"Yes, definitely," Federer told Tages-Anzeiger when asked about returning in 2023, via ESPN. "How and where, I don't know yet. But that would be the idea.

"I haven't planned more than the Laver Cup and Basel yet. After Basel, the season is over anyway. It's important for me to get fit again so that I can train fully. Once I've done that, I can choose how many tournaments I play and where."

About a month after Federer's last match at Wimbledon, he underwent his third knee surgery in less than two years. 

During his absence, Nadal won the 2022 Australian Open and 2022 French Open. Nadal is now the all-time leader in Grand Slam titles with 22.