Tennis superstar Roger Federer announced on Wednesday that he will miss the remainder of the 2020 season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. In a post on Twitter, he addressed his fans and said that he hopes to be “100% ready” in time for the 2021 season. The 20-time grand slam winner said that he had to have a “quick arthroscopic procedure” on his knee, which would keep him out of action for the rest of the year.
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 10, 2020
“A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee. Now, much like I did leading to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100% ready to play at my highest level. I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but, I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” Federer said.
Federer has had trouble with his knee since 2016 and had undergone surgery, before making his comeback in 2017. He added that much like he did leading up to the 2017 season, he planned to take the necessary time to recover before playing at the highest level. Federer’s 2017 season is regarded as one of the best comeback seasons of all time. After dropping to world No 16, Federer came back to win the Australian Open and Wimbledon. His Australian Open win was against rival Rafael Nadal, whom he beat in a thrilling five-setter. His win-loss record was at 54-5 with the highest win percentage since 2006. He won a total of seven titles that season.
Like other sports, tennis has been thrown into disarray because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 400,000 lives worldwide. Wimbledon, the oldest Grand Slam tournament, was canceled for the first time since 1945.
The next edition of the grass court tournament will be June 28 to July 11, 2021. Organizers of the French Open and the U.S. Open are still hoping to stage their major tournaments this year.
The start of the French Open was postponed from late May to late September. The U.S. Open recently said that it still hopes to hold the tournament as planned in New York. Main-draw play is scheduled to begin August 31.
(With PTI inputs)
Federer had also planned to represent Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympics, trying to complete a career Golden Slam by winning a gold medal in men's singles. The games will now be staged in 2021.
Shortly before his initial surgery in February, Federer reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he lost to defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3.
Djokovic later said: "Obviously, he was hurting. You could see it in his movement." Federer, who turns 39 in August, missed much of the 2016 season to injuries. He returned in 2017 and won the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
