Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after winning The Match In Africa Exhibition Match at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, February 7, 2020. /VCG
Roger Federer, 20-time Grand Slam champion, announced that he will be away from the court for a while after having an arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Wednesday in Switzerland.
"My right knee has been bothering me for a little while. I hoped it would go away but after an examination and discussion with my team, I decided to have an arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday. After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery. As a result, I will unfortunately have to miss Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami and the French Open. I am grateful for everyone's support. I can't wait to be back playing again soon. See you on the grass," posted Federer on Twitter.
Federer won French Open title in 2009. Last year, he made the semifinals at Roland Garros before losing to Rafael Nadal. It was the only appearance by Federer in the French Open since 2015.
Roger Federer (L) of Switzerland shakes hands with Novak Djokovic (R) of Serbia after men's singles semifinal match at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, January 30, 2020. /VCG
In the Australian Open that just came to an end on February 2, Federer was knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. After that, he went to Cape Town, South Africa where he played a charity match with Nadal.
Federer will be 39 years old in August. Though he still leads the world with 20 Grand Slam titles, Nadal (19) and Djokovic (17) are catching up, not to mention that they are younger. Moreover, the Summer Olympics in Tokyo is happening right after The Championships, Wimbledon this year. It may be Federer's last Olympic trip, and that's how much remaining healthy means to him right now.