Add Category
Only the very brave would predict Roger Federer can be a force again if he returns to tennis, according to former Australian Davis Cup representative Sam Groth.
Federer has confirmed he needs a third operation on his troublesome right knee, a procedure that he says will leave him out of the game for "many months".
A week after the Swiss maestro turned 40, it appears increasingly likely we'll never see the 20-time Grand Slam champion grace the game's biggest stages again.
If that's the case, the final competitive memory we have of Federer will be his quarter-final loss to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon last month, a match that ended with Federer suffering the indignity of losing the third set 6-0.
Groth says if this is indeed the end, it's a sad way to finish.
"I hope he gets the chance to go out at a tournament and not just pull the pin from home," he told Wide World of Sports.
"You don't want to see a guy like Roger finish without having the chance to say goodbye, but you just wonder whether he should have done it a Wimbledon this year when he was fit enough to compete at a reasonable level.
"Maybe in his mind, he wanted the idea of a fairytale finish. He says he still loves playing. I don't believe in forcing a champion out of the game but at the same time, what would be his motivation to continue?"
At this stage, Federer has only confirmed his absence from the upcoming US Open, noting that the surgery will give him a "glimmer of hope" that he can return to competition.
But the six-time Australian Open champion also says he's realistic about the size of the mountain he'd need to climb to get back to the top.
"Unfortunately the reality is he needs another surgery, and he's 40 years old and it's been a problem for a while," Groth explained.
"It's multiple surgeries, it's another Grand Slam missed. This latest surgery is just another thing for him to overcome and at age 40, it just gets harder and harder to recover.
"You'd be very bold to predict that he could come back and be a force again."
Federer, who has four children, will be keenly aware of the long-term implications of attempting another comeback and with nothing left to prove on-court, his future health is likely to be the No.1 priority.
"Whatever he's doing is not working, in terms of the surgeries," Groth said.
"I know how my body feels at 33 years-old, although I assume Roger has access to a bigger medical team than I do!
"At the same time, they haven't been able to sort out the problem. He's pretty secretive about what actually goes on with these surgeries but long-term, not many players seem to come back well from knee operations."
Groth noted that Federer had previously spoken about his dislike of tournaments taking place in a bubble environment. With that situation likely to continue for some time, it's another reason to believe he won't be back.
"Some people seemed to think that this era would just go on for ever and because Novak Djokovic is doing so well, we have this tendency to believe the 'Big Three' could continue," Groth said.
"[Rafael] Nadal has been struggling, Wimbledon was an issue for him, then he pulled out of the Olympics and now the North American swing. It gets harder as you get older, no doubt.
"Federer did well to defy age for as long as he did, but it catches up eventually."
Not that Groth is forecasting a changing of the guard just yet.
Djokovic will head to New York chasing his fourth major title of the year, as he seeks to join Rod Laver as the only male in the open era to win the Grand Slam.
"Over five sets, beating Novak is still such a tough ask. We've seen him go down two-sets to love recently, but I'm not convinced some of the younger players really believe they can take three sets off Novak.
"There's something special about those guys, that's why they've been at the top for so long.
"I'm tipping Novak at the US Open."
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!