Roger Federer has announced he will miss the remainder of the 2016 season due to "extensive rehabilitation" on his injured knee. The Swiss legend released a statement on Facebook:
"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".
Federer leaves 2016 without a title, Grand Slam final appearance
Federer said he was preparing a bath for his twin daughters which is what led to him having surgery. He turned and heard a click in his left knee and had surgery February 3. He missed a major this year for the first time since 1998 when he didn't play in the French Open. His best results this year was reaching the final of Brisbane, losing to Milos Raonic while also reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, falling to Novak Djokovic and Wimbledon, where Raonic again beat him, spoiling Federer's perfect record in semifinals at The All England Club. The news comes as Federer was chasing the last major title missing from his trophy case, a gold medal in singles at the Olympics. The Swiss reached the gold medal match in 2012 in London, losing in straight sets to Andy Murray.