‘I was down’: Federer had hard time before 2nd knee surgery

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Roger Federer says he never seriously contemplated retirement while he was away from the tennis tour for more than a year. He did have a hard time dealing with the need for a repeat operation on his bad right knee. He says he was down and questioned things at that point. The 39-year-old Federer’s first match since the 2020 Australian Open will come Wednesday in Doha against Dan Evans or Jeremy Chardy. Federer’s first procedure on his knee occurred in February 2020. He announced in June he had a second surgery. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will monitor how this comeback goes over the next several months.