Roger Federer to undergo knee surgery but says he'll attempt comeback
Could this be it for Roger Federer?
On Sunday, the 40-year-old Swiss tennis star shared a message to his nearly nine million Instagram followers, saying that he is going to miss the upcoming US Open and be "out of the game for many months" as he undergoes a third operation on his right knee.
"As you can imagine, it’s not been simple," Federer said. "I've been doing a lot of checks with the doctors, as well, on my knee, getting all the information, as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and [at] Wimbledon, and it’s just not the way to go forward. So unfortunately, they told me for the medium- to long-term, to feel better, I will need surgery, so I decided to do it. I will be on crutches for many weeks."
Federer went on to acknowledge that there's a chance, even if it's a small one, that he could make another comeback.
"It’s gonna be difficult, of course, in some ways, but at the same time, I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy. I want to be running around later, as well, again, and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope, also, to return.
"I am realistic — don't get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it."
Many consider Federer to be the greatest male player of all time. He has 20 Grand Slam wins under his belt — a mark he shares with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — including a record eight Wimbledon titles.
But he has not won a Grand Slam event since the 2018 Australian Open and has not won Wimbledon since 2017. Federer is currently ranked No. 9 in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
He previously missed more than a year of action after having his knee repaired in February 2020, shortly after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, in which he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. Federer had a follow-up procedure in June 2020, per ESPN.
Federer returned to the court in March of this year at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, falling to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarterfinals, before participating in the Gonet Geneva Open in May, in which he lost to Pablo Andujar in the fourth round. He returned to Grand Slam action at the French Open in late May, but he ultimately withdrew, citing knee pain after two surgeries "and over a year of rehabilitation."
Federer's most recent match was a loss at the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July, when he looked oddly content, despite a shocking 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 loss to Hubert Hurkacz. Federer cited the knee injury in withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics the following week.
After Sunday's announcement, many are wondering if this might be it for the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
It's possible that Federer could make another resurgence, like when he came back to win both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017 and defended his title at Melbourne Park in 2018. Federer, though, was still in his mid-30s at that time.
Only time will tell if we'll see one of the world's most decorated tennis players on the court again. The tennis world certainly hopes so.
