Ivan Ljubicic, coach to 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, says the 40-year-old Swiss is still recovering as he rules out a return at the 2022 Australian Open.

"I think there are very few chances, he is still recovering and knowing him, he wants to be sure he can play to win the tournament and be at 100 per cent. So I think the Australian Open is not a real possibility right now. But he will go step by step because he is 40 years old now and he needs to be patient. He cannot recover as quickly as he used to. We have spoken and I can guarantee he wants to return to playing tennis. When he decides to stop he will retire, but I don't think it's going to happen all of a sudden."