Speaking to reporters at the Miami Open, Roger Federer gave his thoughts on the equal prize money debate, and elucidated press as to the nature of the knee injury that resulted in surgery and has sidelined him for seven weeks.
More: Details on Federer's Surger Via ATPWorldTour.com
“I mean, I’m all for equal prize money,” Federer said. “When I was fighting for prize money increases, especially at the Slam level I was always very aware of the fact that it was always going to impact the women’s game, which I was very happy about.”
Federer went on to say that while equal prize money is good in theory, there are complications in that tournaments have their own finances to work out with the WTA and ATP Tours separately.
“But then you have to look at the history of each and every event,” he said, before finally adding that he could certainly see a day when prize money was equal for both genders across the board. “Equal prize money is a good thing,” he said.
You can read Federer’s full comments on the issue, as transcribed by Courtney Nguyen here:
Federer told reporters that he injured his knee during an innocent morning with his family.
“It happened the day after the Djokovic match,” he said. “I think I was going to run a bath for the girls. I made a very simple movement, turned back, heard a click in my knee. Went to the zoo. My leg was swollen.”
Federer said he then flew home to have it looked at.
“Came back and had an MRI done in Switzerland. Saw a doctor right after the MRI. He said I had to have surgery on Tuesday, I did that in Switzerland.”
He added: “Here I am seven weeks and two days later. I am very happy how it went, but clearly that was very sad when I did get the news I did have to have an operation because I thought I was going to get through my career without any."
Here's more of Federer's words on the accident and surgery, Via ATPWorldTour.com:
“When I got the news that I had to have the operation I saw the pictures and talked to my doctor and knew that it was the only way out of this one. In the hospital, when I was about to go into the operating room, that’s when I got nervous and sad about it all. When I woke up and looked at my knee it was like ‘This doesn’t feel like my leg. I can’t believe I did the operation and I hope it will come back from here.’ That’s when I got scared.
“Then literally one day, two days later I had no more pain. I realised I could already move my leg again. You learn how to walk on crutches and all that, which I'd done once before in 2005 when I tore the ligaments in my foot…. . It's baby steps. Still at the same time you go from crutches to walking to running to jumping to sprinting. It's pretty incredible to see the progress I've been able to make in a short period of time.”
Federer will face Juan Martin del Potro on Friday night in his first match since returning from the injury.