Roger Federer to undergo another knee surgery, to miss rest of the 2020 season

Bengaluru, June 10: Tennis ace Roger Federer will miss rest of the season -- which includes two Grand Slams -- the postponed French Open and US Open -- after he announced on Twitter that he had to undergo another knee surgery.

The 38-year-old has been troubled by knee injuries since the start of the 2016 season, when he underwent a surgery for the first time and missed half of the ATP World Tour season.

"I hope you're staying safe and healthy. A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee. Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 per cent ready to play at my highest level," Federer tweeted on Wednesday (June 10).

pic.twitter.com/zXnR7gAZQA

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 10, 2020

With the ATP World Tour planning a gradual return to the court after the long break due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, fans were looking forward to seeing the 20-time Grand Slam champion back in action.

But the latest announcement will leave his millions of fans disapponted, though the former world No.1 promised that he will try to comeback stronger in 2021.

"I'll be missing my fans and the Tour dearly but, I'll look forward to seeing everyone back on Tour at the start of the 2021 season," he added.

Though the Swiss maestro had been undergoing a rehabilitation after a right knee surgery in February, Federer's coach Severin Luthi had admitted that the recovery was not going well as expected.

Lockdown Days: Nadal grills Federer, Murray on Instagram

When Federer had the knee surgery in February, he was set to miss Dubai Championships, Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami Open and the French Open. But as it turned out, the coronavirus lockdown was soon imposed and the entire ATP and WTA calendar came to a grinding halt with even the famed Wimbledon Championships getting cancelled for the first time since World War II.

Wimbledon canceled for 1st time since WWII because of coronavirus

Federer, had previously made a remarkable comeback from injury in 2017, winning seven titles including the Australian Open and Wimbledon, marking his most successful season for over a decade.

His last Grand Slam title came at the Australian Open in 2018.

(With inputs from Agencies)