Tennis extraordinaire Roger Federer has confirmed that he is set to undergo knee surgery and that he will be missing the French Open along with Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota and Miami. He will be out of action until the summer.
Taking to his Twitter account, he announced, "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 have decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday."
He added, "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."
Federer was scheduled to play next week in Dubai then travel to Indian Wells followed by an exhibition match in Colombia and the Miami Open. He was then scheduled to play in the French Open.
In 2016, too, he underwent surgery after suffering from a torn meniscus while giving his kids a bath.
Federer was last seen in action against Rafael Nadal in a record-breaking exhibition match which took place on February 7. The match attracted what organisers said was a world record crowd for a tennis match in the Cape Town Stadium.
The organisers said an audited attendance of 51,954 beat the 42,517 who watched Federer play Alexander Zverev of Germany in Mexico City last November. They also announced that the 'Match in Africa' raised USD 3.5-million for the Roger Federer Foundation, which supports educational and athletic programmes for children in Africa.
"To have 51,954 people in attendance at a tennis match, I never thought I'd be apart of something like that. It's not something you dream about," Federer said.
Federer, who was accompanied by his South African mother, Lynette, said his first appearance in South Africa was a special occasion.
"The first time here in Cape Town, in South Africa, means so much more than just tennis," he said.
