“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”, said Federer, who will turn 35 next month.
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Unlike long-term rival Rafael Nadal, Federer has largely managed to avoid injury throughout his career but this complaint, sustained while running a bath for his twin daughters following his Australian Open semi-final loss, will mean he’ll go a whole season without a title for the first time since 2000.
“We wish Roger Federer a quick recovery and we look forward to following his outstanding career next year”, Stoeckli said in a Swiss Olympic statement.
Federer, who will turn 35 early next month, had planned to represent Switzerland in the Rio Olympics this summer and make another run at a Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in NY, where he was a finalist past year.
It has been four years since Federer won his last Grand Slam Championship, which came at Wimbledon in 2012.
He did not return to tennis until Monte Carlo in April, playing that clay Masters 1000 and also participating in Rome before withdrawing from the French Open. This January, he became the first male tennis player to win 300 Grand Slam matches.
The injury will force the 17-time grand slam tournament victor to miss the Olympics in Rio, as well as the U.S. Open in NY starting next month. Not since 2002 had he found himself in July without a title.
“He hasn’t played since losing to Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals early this month”, the AP writes Tuesday.
Federer, 34, is the two-time defending W&S Open champion. Federer is not only ruled out of the forthcoming Olympic tournament, but he would be skipping the entire season.
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That the most decorated man in tennis, with 17 Majors and 302 weeks as No1, is still wrestling with physical problems has surely left him with no choice but to give up that Olympic quest in an attempt to take the optimistic longer view.
