Basel (Switzerland), Apr 26 (IANS): The 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer will play in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland, later this year after signing up for the Swiss Indoors tournament, organisers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 40-year-old has been out of action since making the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year and is currently recovering from knee surgery.

A statement on the Swiss Indoors website read, "Roger Federer has officially entered the tournament and will appear on the entry list with the protected ATP ranking No. 9 and will play his opening match on Tuesday, October 25, 2022."

"After getting through the first round, the next match will be on Thursday, October 27, 2022. The worldwide interest in the return of the hometown hero and 20-time Grand Slam Champion to the ATP Tour is expected to be tremendous," it added.

Federer's coach Severin Luthi said earlier this year that he can't imagine the Swiss tennis great returning in time for Wimbledon, but the 40-year-old is signed up for the Laver Cup in September. He has now also been confirmed for his first ATP event of the year in his hometown of Basel.

The tournament will be played for the first time since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and starts on October 24. Federer is a 10-time champion in Basel and won the last of his 103 titles there in 2019.