Roger Federer will sit rest of season, OIympics due to knee
The won't be Olympic gold or any other trophies in Roger Federer's near future.
On Tuesday, the all-time Grand Slam leader announced on Facebook that he needs extensive rehabilitation on his knee and will miss the rest of the season.
"I'm extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season," he wrote. "The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover."
One of the most durable players on tour for most of his career, Federer has played sparingly this season following knee surgery in early February. Federer, 34, then withdrew from the French Open with a back injury, the first major he missed since the 1999 US Open.
The Swiss has played only 28 matches this season and has not won a title. He did reach the Wimbledon semifinals earlier this month but was ousted by Milos Raonic in five sets.
"It is tough to miss the rest of the year," Federer wrote. "However, the silver lining is that this experience has made me realize how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries.
"The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and of course you, the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017."
