Roger Federer to miss US Open and undergo knee surgery

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The 20-time Grand Slam winner hasn’t played professional tennis since dropping out of the Wimbledon quarterfinals in August due to injury and subsequent surgery. Since then, Roger Federer has spent months training hard and preparing to “eventually” return to tennis.

“Rehab is rocking,” the athlete announced on an Instagram post that included a video of his recovery.

This was Federer’s third knee surgery.

His first operation was an arthroscopic knee surgery he needed after he tore his left meniscus in 2016 during a freak accident while giving his daughters a bath. The meniscus is a pad of cartilage in the knee that acts as a shock absorber.

He had the same surgery in February 2020 after an injury in July that year.

Since the injury, he has been taking his time with his recovery, prioritising his long-term health.

In an interview with former American number one Jim Courier in September, he said: “I’ve got to first walk again properly, run properly and then do the side steps and all the agility work, and then eventually I’ve got to be back on the tennis court.

“But it’s going to take me a few more months, and then we’ll see how things are at some point next year.

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“I’ve got to take my time.

“I don’t want to rush into anything at this point… This is also for my life. I want to make sure I can do everything I want to do later on.”

Despite being forced away from the sport he loves for months, the star said at the time he was “really happy” with his situation.

“There’s no rush with anything, so I’m actually in a really good place. I think the worst is behind me.”

But while Federer is optimistic about a return, his coach suggests it’s unlikely that he’ll make it back in time for Wimbledon, although he refused to say it was “impossible”.

“At the moment I don’t see how he should play in Wimbledon either,” coach Severin Luthi told the Express.

“I’m not the one who says ‘impossible’. But I can’t imagine it right now.”

Arthroscopic knee surgery

This kind of surgery is used to treat meniscal tears – damage to the cartilage in the knee that acts as a shock absorber.

It is when a surgeon makes a small incision into the knee to look at the joint, without damaging it or risking infection, according to the NHS.

They may even repair problems with the joint while they’re looking at it.

During an arthroscopic repair, when the surgeon uses the procedure to repair a torn joint, the surgeons bring a little dart-looking device into your joint and place it onto the tear to stitch it up.

Generally, it is a non-invasive procedure that lasts only a few hours.

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