Tennis champion Roger Federer has delighted fans with his plans to compete at the Swiss Indoors in October.
His return to tournament tennis comes after the athlete had over a year away from the sport after a devastating injury.
The event in Basel, Switzerland, announced in a statement posted on its website on Tuesday that the 20-time Grand Slam champion “has officially entered the tournament and will appear on the entry list with the protected ATP ranking” of No. 9.
His agent also confirmed the news of his return, with Federer’s first match in the tournament scheduled for October 25th, according to the event’s website.
The 40-year-old tennis legend has not played a competitive match since losing to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on July 7th.
After his defeat, Federer underwent surgery to repair meniscus and cartilage on his right knee — the third time in a span of 18 months that knee was operated on.
Federer said in an interview with a Swiss newspaper in November that he expected to miss Wimbledon this coming June, and was not sure when, if ever, he might be able to play again at a high level, although he did “want to see one last time what I’m capable of as a professional tennis player.”
Federer has won a men’s record eight championships at the All England Club.
He and Novak Djokovic are tied for the second-most overall major tennis titles won by a man, as Rafael Nadal takes the top spot, who has 21 major titles under his belt.
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This article first appeared on OverSixty.