Former tennis player Greg Rusedski mentioned Roger Federer while expressing concern over the growing injury problems affecting British players, including Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu withdrew from the 2026 Wimbledon Championships just hours before her opening match due to a stress fracture in her lower right leg. Since her historic 2021 US Open win, she has struggled with a series of injuries, including surgeries on both her wrist and ankle in 2023. She also ended her 2025 season early due to bone bruising in her right foot and began the 2026 season with a viral illness.
Speaking on his ‘Off Court‘ podcast on Friday, Rusedski pointed to Federer as an example of durability, noting that the Swiss largely remained injury-free for most of his career. He said:
“I want to see all our British healthy and progressing. But you also have to take into account the science of sport, because something does not work well when we have so many injuries constantly. I don’t have enough information, but all I know is that we have many talented players in Britain and we need to find a way to keep them healthy,” said Rusedski.
He added:
“I remember when Roger Federer was at the peak of his career and he was still hitting tennis balls when he went on vacation with his family. That’s what you have to do.”
He further asked his fellow British players to keep consistency in their game and stay in shape, adding:
“Team consistency helps, consistency in training. You can’t take long periods of time off. Even when you’re on vacation, you still need to hit balls. You still need to go to the gym. You need to keep going because if you stop, you have to start from scratch.”
Roger Federer had opened up about the details behind the injury that forced him to retire
In September 2025, Roger Federer appeared on “Andy Roddick’s Served Media’ podcast, where he discussed the injuries that forced him to retire from tennis in 2022. Although he was always famous for staying injury-free during his career, Federer revealed that he dealt with serious knee, back, and foot issues toward the end. Sharing the details of the injuries, he said:
“I was always famous for never being injured. I dealt with some back issues, hand stuff, foot things, but never to the extent like it was with the knee at the end. It’s only once you’ve had surgery or you are out for a period of time that you are appreciative of how good you used to feel. All of sudden, you are thinking everything through in every moment of the match,” said Roger Federer.
He added:
“I didn’t want my opponent or the press to know about my injuries. To protect myself and then on the other side, Rafa was so honest about his issues and I was asking… why is he saying all of that? Me, I can’t get out of the chair with my bad back and everyone thinks I’m perfect. I was tricky navigating the media, as I was at 80 per cent and they judged me at 100 per-cent. Look, I had an amazing career with a good and body, but it all came together in the end with the knee.”
Over his outstanding 24-year career, Roger Federer never retired mid-match. He won a total of 111 titles in his career, including 20 Grand Slam wins.
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