Swiss tennis star Roger Federer announced today, Wednesday, that he will not be back in action until next year, due to another knee operation.
"A few weeks ago, I experienced a relapse during the initial rehabilitation phase, and I had to undergo another rapid operation on the right knee," Federer, 38, said on social media.
He added: "Just as I had done before the 2017 season, I am now planning to have 100% preparation time in order to play at my best."
"I will miss the fans and championships a lot, but I look forward to seeing everyone again in the championships beginning in 2021."
The WTA Association immediately commented on Federer's remarks, and stated on Twitter that it wished Federer "all the best in the recovery phase."
Federer has not played in any games since February, when he underwent the first knee operation.
It should be noted that the interruption of professional tennis competitions continues until the end of next July at least due to the pandemic crisis of the emerging corona virus (Covid-19).
The crisis has caused the cancellation of this year’s edition of Wimbledon, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, which is held on grass.
While the organizers of the American Open (Flushing Meadows), which are held on the hard court, hope that the championship competitions will start on August 31, and the French Open (Roland Garros) is supposed to be followed by its new date after it was postponed due to the Corona crisis.
Federer had suffered a previous knee injury in 2016 that caused him to be out of action for a long time until his recovery was complete.
Then he presented an impressive season in 2017, which saw him crown the Australian Open title, as well as the title of Wimbledon, which constituted his 20th title in the Grand Slam tournaments.