Federer's comeback could be doomed like Serena Williams', says former Grand Slam champion

Roger Federer’s comeback could be doomed from the start and he may suffer the same fate as Serena Williams, a former Grand Slam champion has warned.

Federer, a 20-time major champion and eight-time Wimbledon winner, does not have a single ATP point to his name after Monday’s updated rankings.

The Swiss tennis legend has not played since last year’s Wimbledon, where he became the oldest quarter-finalist in the Open Era at SW19.

However, the 40-year-old missed this year’s Championships for the first time since 1998 as he continues to recover from a third knee surgery and has hinted he may soon retire.

Federer has now fallen behind Novak Djokovic in the all-time Grand Slam titles race – with the Serbian recording his 21st on Sunday with victory over Nick Kyrgios in Sunday’s Wimbledon final – and is two behind Rafael Nadal’s 22.

Williams, meanwhile, who like Federer is considered one of the best players in the sport’s history, suffered an early first-round exit at Wimbledon this year. And now, former Grand Slam champion Adriano Panatta – who won the French Open in 1976 – has warned Federer not to take the same path as Williams.

"Roger Federer is one of the reasons why I continued to love tennis," Panatta told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I wish him happiness, he has an extraordinary career behind him and a wonderful family next to him.

"There is a time for everything. [But] we have already given up with Serena Williams, I hope not to see a replica."

Federer will make his ATP Tour return in September at the Laver Cup, the team competition he founded back in 2017.