ROGER Federer has been forced to withdraw from Tokyo 2020, following a setback to the knee injury that kept him out of competition for 13 months between February 2020 and March 2021.
The tennis star, who has 20 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, was initially named in the Swiss team to compete at the Games.
However, he will now miss out on the chance to better the Olympic silver medal he won at London 2012 where he lost in the final to Great Britain’s Andy Murray.
Federer announced his withdrawal on social media on Tuesday, stating; “During the grass court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games. I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland.”
The announcement comes less than a week after Federer was knocked out of Wimbledon by Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals.
He will now concentrate on his rehabilitation with the hopes of returning to tournaments later in the summer.
Ralph Stöckli, Chef de Mission of the Swiss Olympic Committee, responded to Federer’s announcement by looking back at his legacy at the Olympic Games, saying: “We are really happy about his past appearances and his presence would have brought a lot of joy and pride to the Swiss Team,” before adding: “Health comes before everything, even for such an important event as the Olympic Games.”
In March of this year, Federer expressed his strong desire to compete in Tokyo, saying: “The Olympics is a major goal for me. Unfortunately, I missed the Rio Olympics because of a left knee injury. I hope I will return to the Tokyo Olympics.”
Unfortunately, injury has robbed him of his chance to compete for an Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020.
Olympics.com
