Roger Federer has ruled himself out of the rest of the 2020 tennis season after having to undergo another operation on his right knee.
The Swiss star underwent the knife in February but his rehabilitation has not gone according to plan and he will not return to action until next year.
The 38-year-old confirmed the news on social media where he provided an update to supporters.
“Dear fans,” Federer began. “I hope you are staying safe and healthy.
“A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, Ib had to have an additional arthroscopic procedure on my right knee.
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“Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 per cent ready to play at my highest level.
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“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. All the best, Roger.”
Federer timed his initial surgery to perfection as it coincided with the coronavirus outbreak and he did not miss any events.
There were hopes the 19-time Grand Slam winner would return for the US Open and French Open later this year.
But he will now sit out those final major tournaments – if they go ahead – and attempt to return at the Australian Open in 2021.
He told Serbian outlet Telegraf: “At the moment, I can say that Novak is the best of all time if you take the last ten years and everything he has done.
“According to the records, it is currently Federer, with the number of weeks as the ‘number one’ and the number of Grand Slams, these are some of the two statistics that are most often taken into account.
“But when everything is over, I am almost 100 per cent convinced that it will be Novak.”