Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Federer has said that he has suffered a ‘setback’ in his recovery from a knee injury and thus has to withdraw from the Olympics. Federer could not go past the quarter-final stage in the 2021 Wimbledon after he was knocked by Hubert Hurkacz.
Explaining his decision, Federer took to Twitter and said: “During the grass season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games.” The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to action earlier this year after missing out on most of 2020 due to multiple knee surgeries. Federer, who is ranked No. 8 in the world, has competed in the Olympics four times and has a gold and silver medal to his name. Still, many fans had hoped that the Tokyo Games would be his chance to take home a gold medal finally in the singles category, having won a silver in singles in 2012 and a gold in doubles in 2008. The 39-year-old Federer, a record he shares with his great rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, has begun rehabilitation and hopes to return to action later this summer.
“I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar. As always, Hopp Schwiz!” he added.
