Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has said he will undergo further knee surgery, admitting he "will be out for many months". The decision immediately rules him out of the US Open which starts in two weeks' time, and where Federer has been champion on five occasions.
"I will be on crutches for many weeks and out of the game for many months," 20-time Grand Slam title winner Federer said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
The decision casts further doubt on the 40-year-old's future in tennis.
"I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form," added Federer.
"I am realistic, don't get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at my age to go through another surgery. I will try it. I want to be healthy, I want to be running around."
This one hurts 💔.
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 15, 2021
Wishing you a speedy recovery @rogerfederer. 🤞 pic.twitter.com/QDbUwlZZUM
Federer, who has played just 13 matches in 2021, underwent two knee operations in 2020 when he played only six times.
He pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics to rest his knee.
Federer withdrew from this year's French Open after reaching the fourth round and was knocked out in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.
That defeat was only Federer's 14th at the All England Club in 119 matches, and the first time he had been beaten in the tournament in straight sets since a first-round exit at the hands of Mario Ancic in 2002.
It was also the first time he lost a set 6-0 at Wimbledon and just the third time at a Slam.
Recovering from niggles 'takes weeks, not days'
"I've been doing a lot of checks with the doctors on my knee," he added on Sunday.
"I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and it's just not the way to go forward.
"They told me to feel better I'll need surgery. I decided to do it."
After turning 40 last weekend, Federer said he was learning to adjust to the fact that recovering from niggles takes two weeks rather than two days.
"It was different before. The questions were simple: what is my place in the ranking? What will my next tournament be?", he told Blick newspaper.
"Today, it's more difficult: how do I feel when I start training again? What are my goals? How to reconcile all this with the family? What does the rest of the team say?
"I am much more enthusiastic than before, the attitude is different. It's really completely different from 10 years ago."
- Knee injury forces Federer to withdraw from Tokyo Olympics
- Foot injury forces Nadal's withdrawal from Canadian Open
Federer captured his most recent major at the 2018 Australian Open.
He was already well past 36 and the second oldest man to clinch a Slam title
Since then, Novak Djokovic has claimed eight more majors and old rival Rafael Nadal has picked up four.
All three players stand level with 20 Slam titles each.
On Sunday, the US Open confirmed Federer's withdrawal from the final Grand Slam event of the year
