Roger Federer announced Sunday, in a video posted on Instagram, that he was going to have a knee operation, which will result in “many months of absence” and leaves the hypothesis of an end of career hovering.
“To feel better, I need to be operated”, which implies an absence for “many months”, said the 40-year-old Swiss, who has not played since Wimbledon, notably missed the Games Olympic Games in Tokyo and therefore forfeited the US Open.
“I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to come back”
“I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to come back to the circuit one way or another,” he explained. “I am a realist, please understand me. I know how difficult it is at my age to have another operation. I will try ”to get back to the circuit, added Federer.
“I want to be healthy. I will follow the rehabilitation process, ”he insisted.
A mixed record
The former world No.1 played only 13 games in 2021, for a mixed record of nine wins and four losses in five tournaments. His 2020 season, with six games played, had been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and marked by two knee operations.
Doubt about his participation in the US Open was allowed after the man with twenty Grand Slam titles gave up the Masters 1.000 in Toronto and Cincinnati, in the wake of his forfeit at the Olympics, which could have been his ultimate challenge before the end of his career.
This season, the native of Basel had retired before the round of 16 at Roland Garros, in order to prepare for Wimbledon, his favorite tournament that he won eight times but where he was released in the quarterfinals.
Asked after the final of the London tournament won against Rafael Nadal in 2019 on his possible end of career, Federer had indicated to speak about it regularly with his wife for the sake of their family balance. “Right now, it looks like it’s okay, which is fantastic,” he said at the time.