The decision to withdraw from the Olympics and the rest of the season this year was made after consultations with his doctor. The injury did not happen on the tennis court but occurred when he was drawing a bath for his twin daughters, Federer told reporters in Miami in March.
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In Brazil, Federer was expected to play singles, doubles with Wawrinka, and mixed doubles with Martina Hingis.
Federer, now the No. 3 ranked men’s tennis player in the world, won medals at the last two Olympics – a gold in doubles at Beijing in 2008, and a silver in singles at London in 2012. “It is tough to miss the rest of the year”. That means he will miss the season’s final Grand Slam event, the U.S. Open, in NY.
Switzerland’s Olympic association rued the withdrawal of Federer, his country’s flag bearer at both the 2004 and 2008 Games, but chef de mission Ralph Stoeckli sympathised with the tennis star’s decision. He required knee surgery in February, having suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Federer, who has spent more weeks at No. 1 than anyone in the history of the ATP computerized rankings, now sits at No. 3, having gone 21-7 this season.
Federer was playing again by the end of March.
When he reached the last four at Wimbledon, which included winning a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals against Marin Cilic, it appeared as if Federer’s injury woes were finally behind him and his absence from the French Open was a one off.
“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”, he added.
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Federer chose to complete the match after the fall, although he expressed concern about the potential damage to his knee. He also said that i’ve gone through lots of injuries but never miss any important game or tournament and this time he is very unlucky that this big opportunity will be missed by his hand.
