Roger Federer sent shockwaves through the tennis world and feelings of heartbreak to millions of fans as he announced he will miss the rest of 2016 for giving his knee and body the proper time to recover. The Swiss maestro, who missed his first grand slam (Roland Garros) after 65 consecutive appearances, will miss the US Open, as well as the Olympics in Rio, Brazil, and the World Tour Finals in London.
The soon to be 35-year-old Swiss made the announcement via Facebook Tuesday, stating his love for tennis, competition, tournaments, and of course the fans – and his plan to return strong and healthy in 2017. Federer also said he intends to play on the tour for “another few years.”
Roger Federer and Wilson Debut New, Co-Designed Pro Staff RF97 Autograph Racket
Roger Federer’s New NikeCourt Collection
Wilson Introduces New Glide Shoe
Dear Fans,
I’m extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season. Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year. The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover. It is tough to miss the rest of the year. However, the silver lining is that this experience has made me realize how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries. The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and of course you, the fans remains intact. 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.
Thanks for your continued support.
Roger
“There is no gloom and doom in our camp,” insisted Tony Godsick, Federer’s longtime agent. “The decision was unfortunate, on the face, a bummer, but it was encouraging, too. It shows he still wants to get out there and give it a few more years.”
“So if the doctor says he needs a certain number of weeks, now he can afford to give it even more time,” Godsick said. “Everyone on this team is an optimist, and he’s the chief optimist.”
“If the goal is to go and play as long as you can,” Godsick said, “it’s the right decision.”
Source: ESPN
federerfan07.com
@FedererFan07
All Roger Federer. All the time.