Roger Federer still hasn’t had enough at the age of 37. The Olympic gold medallist in doubles from 2008 has not yet given up hope of his fifth participation in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
Roger Federer would then be 39 years old if the Swiss were actually to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Federer sniffed Olympic competition air for the first time in Sydney in 2000 in order to be at the start of the next three Olympic Games in Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London in 2012.
In 2016, the “Maestro” missed the oldest event in sports history due to a knee injury. The record Grand Slam winner said at an event in Tokyo that the time will come again in two years’ time.
“I’ve seen the Olympic Village and how it’s built – it’s totally exciting and exciting,” Federer gave his fans hope and continued: “It’s right in downtown Tokyo, an absolutely great location, and it’s definitely going to be great Olympic Games. I’d love to perform there.”
One reason for the Olympic urge of the 20-time major winner could be the missing piece of the puzzle in his fable career. Federer still lacks the Olympic gold in the individual competition in his collection. In 2012, the Swiss lost to local hero Andy Murray in the final and had to settle for silver.
In the double competition, however, “FedEx” may call a gold medal its own. In Beijing 2008, Federer won gold in doubles alongside his compatriot Stan Wawrinka.
However, Federer would have to hope for an ITF wildcard in order to be allowed to participate in the 2020 tournament. The World Federation stipulates that Federer must represent his country at least three times in the Davis Cup between 2016 and 2020 in order to qualify directly for the tournament.
However, a return of the Davis Cup winner from 2014 is unlikely. After the big triumph against France, Federer cancelled the Davis Cup from his schedule and will in all likelihood no longer run for Switzerland. The only possibility for Federer at the 2020 Olympics is the ITF wildcard.
The ITF awards one wildcard each to an unqualified Japanese and an unqualified Grand Slam or Olympic champion. So Federer would be a good candidate for this.