Roger Federer withdraws from U.S. Open announces knee surgery

Roger Federer announced on Instagram Sunday that he will miss the US Open and "many months" after undergoing knee surgery.

“I just wanted to give you a bit of an update [on] what’s been going on since Wimbledon. As you can imagine, it’s not been simple. I’ve been doing a lot of checks with the doctors as well on my knee, getting all the information as I hurt myself further during the grass-court season and Wimbledon,” Federer said in a video. “That’s just not the way to go forward, so unfortunately they told me for the medium to long term to feel better, I will need surgery. I decided to do it.

“I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and also out of the game for many months, so it’s going to be difficult of course in some ways, but at the same time I know it’s the right thing to do because I want to be healthy, I want to be running around later as well again and I want to give myself a glimmer of hope to return to the tour in some shape or form."

The Swiss star, who turned 40 on 8 August, underwent arthroscopic right knee surgeries in February 2020 and May 2020. Federer has played five tournaments since having those surgeries, all of which came this season. The 103-time tour-level titlist most recently competed at Wimbledon.

“I am realistic, don’t get me wrong. I know how difficult it is at this age right now to do another surgery and try it,” Federer said. “But I want to be healthy, I will go through the rehab process I think also with a goal while I’m still active, which I think is going to help me during this long period of time.”

At the end of his video, Federer made sure to thank the fans for all the support and continuing to motivate him through the highs and lows.

“Also a big thank you already now for all of your messages that are going to be coming in because you guys are always incredible. You always think of me. Some of you suffer with me,” Federer said. “I’ll update you as I move along with my rehab. I wish you all the best and I’ll check in with you soon.”

atptour.com

Roger Federer has somehow avoided father time for the entirety of his career. So it shouldn't come as that much of a shock that his body is finally showing the wear and tear. But I think because he's managed to avoid it for so long, it created this aura of invulnerability that seemed like it would go on forever. 

I think the realization that he's human after all took everyone off guard. Even though realistically we all knew this day would come, accepting it doesn't make it hurt any less.

When and if he does come back, the question will be will he be able to still compete for the big prizes. Despite all signs pointing to no, his fans will always hope. I honestly wonder whether he will try to go out at one of the big tournaments or somewhere small like the 500 event in his home town of Basel. 

Whatever his decision, I just hope we get to see him a few more times on court because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye, I don't think I ever will. But I do want him to be able to say farewell to his fans and the tour on his own terms one last time.  The tour will not be the same without you Swiss Maestro, see you in 2022.  ♥♥♥

Happy 40th Swiss Maestro

Australian Open Facebook

Roger Federer Withdraws From Toronto & Cincinnati due to knee setback

Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to a knee injury, the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments announced Thursday.

The 39-year-old underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020 after the Australian Open before returning to the Tour in Doha this March. Federer has competed in five tournaments this year, recently missing the Tokyo Olympics due to injury.

When he announced his withdrawal from the Olympics, Federer tweeted: "During the grass-court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee.”

atptour.com

Iga Swiatek relishes 'special moment' after Tokyo Opener win

Iga Swiatek opened the Olympic Tennis Event at Tokyo 2020 with champion’s poise, defeating Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-2 6-2 to reach the second round on her Games debut.


The 20-year-old's victory saw her become just the third Polish player to win an Olympic singles match after Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, and came while facing the pressure of top billing as she kicked off the tournament on Centre Court at Ariake Tennis Park.

Swiatek, who was initially expecting to open Court 1, benefitted from a schedule re-shuffle to account for Naomi Osaka’s starring role at the Opening Ceremony – and she was delighted to produce a performance worthy of the stage.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I know that they changed the schedule yesterday, but it was a special moment for me. I know that right now I really feel the Olympic vibe.”

Swiatek may be making her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, but she has plenty of history in the Games. She secured a doubles gold medal alongside Kaja Juvan at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 and her father, Tomasz, was an Olympian, competing in the men’s quadruple sculls event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

“My Dad’s told me a lot about the Olympics,” said Swiatek. “I couldn’t actually imagine it properly, but for sure it’s a special event. It’s different than any other tournament. I’m trying to give myself the opportunity to get used to it and focus on playing.”

Swiatek proved ruthless in the face of the oppressive humidity on Saturday. She raced into a 5-0 lead in 26 minutes, though her German opponent managed to put more pressure on her serve than the scoreline suggests.

A momentarily lapse in concentration - a double fault - when serving for the opening set gave Barthel a break, and a glimmer of hope of finding a foothold in the match, but the Pole held her nerve and got off court, and out of the heat, after just 67 minutes.

“It is humid,” admitted last year's French Open champion. “I’m not used to it. My perfect weather is in Great Britain or maybe [the weather] at 2020 Roland Garros!

“It’s hard to get used to it, but we gave myself time, we came to Takasaki [about 100km north of Tokyo] before going to the Olympic village to get used to the jetlag, humidity, and right now it’s much, much easier [than when I arrived].

“But still, when the stress comes and all the different factors that you have on that match, it’s different. I’m happy I’m in the second round and I can just get the experience.”

Swiatek, who will face either Paula Badosa or Kristina Mladenovic in round two, was quick to acknowledge another 'special moment' at the start of these Games; Osaka representing Japan - and tennis - on Friday night.

"It’s amazing," she said of Osaka lighting the Olympic Cauldron. "I think she deserves it with all the great results that she had. She’s dealing with a lot of stuff, so it’s good that she had the honour and opportunity to do that.

"It’s a pretty special moment so I hope she’s going to remember that."

itftennis.com

Roger Federer to reassess after straight sets Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Hurkacz, but goal is to play

Roger Federer was delighted with the ovation he received as he walked off Centre Court at the end of his 22nd Wimbledon campaign on Wednesday, but the soon-to-be 40-year-old isn’t going to retire anytime soon.

“[The] crowds were amazing,” said Federer, after a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 quarter-final loss to Polish 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz. “The ovation was fantastic. I loved it. That's why I play. That's why I still play now… I'm super grateful for all the support I've gotten here over the years. Today again was special.

“I'm actually very happy I made it as far as I did here, and I actually was able to play Wimbledon at the level that I did, after everything I went through. Of course, I would like to play it again, but at my age you're just never sure what's around the corner.”

Federer underwent two arthroscopic right knee surgeries in February and May last year, but the Swiss was clearly happy to have returned to the All England Club, the scene of his eight Wimbledon triumphs, over the past fortnight.

“I was able to make it this year, which I'm really happy about,” said Federer, who was contesting just his fifth tournament of 2021. “I’ve got to take a few days. Obviously, we're going to speak a little bit tonight, depending on how I feel, then the next couple of days as well. Then we go from there. Just see, ‘Okay, what do I need to do to get in better shape so I can be more competitive?’

“I'm not sure if it's necessarily matches, to be honest, because the body actually overall feels fine from the matches. I'm happy I went through all the process of taking losses and trying to play in Paris, Geneva, Doha and Halle, getting myself into match toughness and fitness here in Wimbledon. I definitely need to be a better player if I want to be more competitive at the highest of levels. I knew that coming in.”

The Swiss superstar, who has won a record-equalling 20 Grand Slam trophies, will now regroup with Ivan Ljubicic and Severin Luthi and plan his next tournaments.

“You know you need a goal when you're going through rehab with what I did,” said Federer. “You can't think of the entire mountain to climb as once. You got to go in steps. Wimbledon was the initial first super step, if you like.

“Now that that's over, you just got to reassess everything. You got to sit down, talk about it, what went well, what didn't go so well, where is the body, where is the knee, where is the mind? The goal is to play, of course.”

After his first straight sets loss at Wimbledon since 2002, when he fell as a 20-year-old to Mario Ancic 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3 in the first round, Federer went on to admit, “Clearly, there's still a lot of things missing in my game that maybe 10, 15, 20 years ago were very simple and very normal for me to do. Nowadays, they don't happen naturally anymore. I got to always put in the extra effort mentally to remind myself, ‘Remember to do this’ or ‘Do that’. I have a lot of ideas on the court, but sometimes I can't do what I want to do.

“I felt very disappointed in the moment itself. I still am. At the same time there's always a weight that falls off your shoulders when a tournament is over, when a huge goal is made or missed. It doesn't matter actually. You feel the weight is gone and you're exhausted. I feel horribly exhausted. I could go for a nap right now. That's how I feel.

“The past 18 months have been long and hard. Then again, if I take perspective, I'm always very happy about a lot of things that happened [in the past few weeks, the past few months. I know [I] will be upbeat again shortly. I know how I am in these situations. I feel like I go maybe very hard on myself, I get very sad, and then a few days go by…. Then I'll be totally fine again and be my old self.

atptour.com

I waited to post this because I needed time to process.  It's been about a day and I'm honestly still gathering my thoughts on everything. Being Polish my heart was soaring for one guy and hurting for the other all at once. 

It was hard not rooting for my countryman and equally as hard not rooting for Roger Federer knowing what he's been through the past year and a half and simply because it's Roger.

In the end all I could think was please don't let this match be my last memory of Roger Federer at the All England Club.  I don't think it will be, but it's hard not to think it factoring in everything. 

Even though I went into this Wimbledon with very low expectations, as always the more Roger won the more my hope grew. The man has always managed to defy the odds and do the impossible. 

His 2017 Aussie Open comeback and triumph being the epitome of that. He has managed to defy father time with what often seems like superhuman abilities. This match was a bit of a realization that perhaps he is human after all. 

And despite all the impossible feats it was too much to expect him to play the way he always does, the way he did before 2 knee surgeries and the pandemic. The reality is that he hasn't played many matches this year and is returning from a long injury lay off . It is going to take patience and time for him to get back to what he was before all that. It's unfair of us as fans to expect him to perform miracle at this stage. 

I have no doubt that his love for the game will drive him to continue to try and be better (perhaps even for the hard courts). I wish him all the best, and though I'm sad his journey was cut short this year, I'm thankful for all the memories he's given his fans at SW19 over the past 20 years. 

I'm looking forward to more of them at the U.S. Open. As long as he's playing I will always have hope, and will always be happy to see him regardless whether he wins or loses. 

A quarter final here is still a great result, it may not have been the one he or his fans wanted. But we're all grateful just to have him back.

It was not Roger's day, he was not able to bring the level needed to win. Hubert Hurkacz on the other hand was fantastic no question about it. He played his game and handled himself exceptionally. By winning he created some history along the way. 

He is now the 2nd Polish man to reach a Wimbledon semi final. And the first man in about 19 years to beat Roger Federer in straight sets at Wimbledon and also the first time he's ever lost a set to love. That is quite an accomplishment. 

I really hope he can back up his win tomorrow and reach the final vs Matteo Barretini. That would redeem the entire tournament for me. 

Who knows maybe we'll end up with a Canadian (Shapovalov) playing a Pole, thus making it harder for me to decide who to root for again. Yep, that would be something to celebrate. 

Roger Federer flies into his 18th Wimbledon quarter final

Hold the back page: Roger Federer is through to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. By getting there for the 18th time, he has beaten the record set by… oh, wait a minute: he has beaten the record he set the last time he reached the last eight in 2019.

That year he broke the record he set in 2018. And that was the year he broke the record he set in 2017. You can sense a theme building here. Jimmy Connors is the next name on the last eight achievement list – he got that far 14 times.

This is Federer’s 22nd competitive trip to the All England Club and in all that time, he has only failed to get to the quarter-finals (or better) three times. So when Lorenzo Sonego set up his meeting with the Swiss, there was a general feeling that the day would not end well for him. It didn’t: Federer won 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.

“I’m extremely happy,” Federer said. “Again, tricky conditions – inside and outside – against Lorenzo who is always dangerous but I felt that after that first set, I was able to control things. It was a great match and I couldn’t be more excited to be in the quarter-finals. It’s a big moment and I’m very, very happy.”

There was a telling moment in the clubhouse just moments before the match. The two men were waiting to walk out on to Centre Court and were being given their last minute instructions by Dan Bloxham, the master of ceremonies and the head coach at the All England Club. Sonego was to walk out first but he had not been here before; Centre Court was all new to him.

Given their cue to go, Bloxham sent the Italian on his way. But which way? All Sonego could see in front of him was a doorway and then a wall. “Left; turn left… that way…” Bloxham instructed. Poor Sonego was like the lucky traveller who had been given his first upgrade from economy class to business. He had never stepped through the door and turned left before in his life.

A few paces behind him was Federer, a member of the club since 2003 when he won his first title here; he is chasing his ninth Wimbledon trophy and his 21st Grand Slam trophy in all. There is no place outside of Switzerland where he feels more at home than Centre Court. And he is very used to turning left whenever he boards a plane.

Still, once he had stowed his hand luggage, got his drinks sorted and perused the snacks menu (bananas, power bars and the like), Sonego began to relax and settle in. His grass court record may look a little thin compared to Federer’s (whose doesn’t?) but he did reach the Eastbourne final a little over a week ago and he did win the Antalya title in 2019. He is not unused to life on a grass court.

What he is unused to is life on a grass court with Federer. They had met once before but that was on a clay court at Roland Garros two years ago; Federer brushed past him in straight sets. On Monday, Sonego kept pace with the former champion for the first quarter of an hour or so and then things started to get tricky.

Federer started to apply a bit of pressure; he had a break point – and then another and another. As the game wore on, Sonego managed to extricate himself from the situation, but only just. It had taken nearly 10 minutes but his serve was secure. And then Federer held to love and broke to 15. Just like that. Seven of eight points won. Simples.

But this is not the Federer of old; this is not vintage Fed. He is playing and feeling a good deal better than he did a week ago when The Championships began but he is still a work in progress. No player can bounce back from two bouts of knee surgery and 13 months off and just pick up where he left off. Doing it at the age of 39 increases the degree of difficulty massively. So, having broken, Federer promptly dropped serve to love. We were back where we started.

As Sonego fought tooth and nail to hang on to his serve in the 11th game – seven deuces, four break points – the rain stopped them in their tracks. They had been trying to resolve this game for more than 13 minutes and Sonego was serving to stave off that fourth break point, but the elements did not care.

Play was suspended for the usual 17 minutes or thereabouts as the roof was closed and the lights switched on and out they came again (Sonego needing no directions this time). Unsurprisingly, after all the disruption, the Italian was not at his sparkling best as he double faulted to hand his serve to Federer but, then again, neither was Federer. He needed to save three break points before he could finally wrap up the set. It had all been alarmingly messy for the Swiss and his many, many followers.

But when Federer found himself in a similar position in the second set – breaking for a 3-2 lead – there were no blips, no fluffs and no dramas. The eight-time champion powered through the second set and ran away with the third. This was more like the champion of old.

As Federer prepared for his landing in the last eight, Sonego was putting his seat in the upright position and stowing away his tray table. It might be a while before he gets to turn left with Federer on Centre Court again. Doors to manual and cross check…

wimbledon.com

Finally a nice mostly stress free match for Federer. His next opponent was expected to be Medvedev. But we got the surprise of Hubert Hurkacz instead. So once again my Polish heart feels conflicted. This will by no means be an easy ride for Fed. 

Hurkacz has played him once before so he won't be intimidated. If he doesn't get to overwhelmed by the occasion he could make it into quite a match especially given the way he serves. But if Federer plays clean and solid pulling out his bag of tricks it could also be one way. Really looking forward to this one.

Roger Federer battles into week 2 of Wimbledon for the 18th time

The sign held up by a member of the Centre Court crowd stated flatly: “Federer Is Forever.” But the lady proffering it was a tad diffident, as if acknowledging that the great man is not the player of yesteryear. She needn’t have worried.

Her idol fought past his third round opponent Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. It wasn’t easy, but he proved that reports of his own death have been greatly exaggerated.

One month shy of his 40th birthday, Roger Federer is alive, kicking, and into the second week at Wimbledon for the 18th occasion in his astonishing career. Anyone would think the eight-time champion knows what he’s doing.

“I’m very, very pleased and super-relieved – that was a tough battle,” said Federer. “He deserved that third set. He played excellent. I felt I was able to keep a high level of play and can be very happy with how I played.

"It’s nice to hear it will be my 69th Grand Slam fourth round. I’ve loved every minute and I hope there’s a little bit more left in me. It’s an absolute pleasure still playing right now, and this is special as it’s my last Slam before I hit the big 40. It’s all a bonus, and we’ll see how far it can go.”

The longer this third round match went on, the more resourceful Norrie became. Just as well, then, that all the movement and timing which were so grimly absent from Federer’s first round display against Adrian Mannarino were back in abundance here. No need this time to rely on the slings, arrows and slippery grass of outrageous fortune to seal his passage into the next round.

So the Swiss-British axis remains unchanged. No British man has beaten Federer at a Grand Slam since Andy Murray saw him off at the Australian Open eight years ago.

As for a domestic win over the great man on the lawns of SW19 – for that, we must peer back through the mists of time to 2001, when Tim Henman managed the feat two years before Federer lifted the gentlemen’s trophy for the first time.

Still, left-handed gun Norrie has made great strides this year, reaching three finals including Queen’s. This is the third successive Grand Slam where the 25-year-old has reached the third round, thus justifying his first-time seeding of No.29.

But the fates have dictated a duff draw in the last 32 for him each time – he met Nadal in both Australia and at Roland-Garros, and here at Wimbledon… well, you know the rest. Moreover, for all those big strides this year, he has yet to defeat a top ten player in any Grand Slam. If Norrie is to reach the last 16 of a Slam for the first time, he will need to get himself into the big matches earlier than he did here.

Having walked on to the Centre Court with a confident wave, his opening service game featured three double faults, and he held it only when Federer obliged with mistakes of his own. But Norrie’s first serve had gone walkabout, and at 3-3 he put too much mustard on a forehand to offer Federer a whole trio of break points.

The No.6 seed duly gobbled up the first in the middle of a 12-point streak. The Federer who could barely manage to win 50 per cent of his first serves against Mannarino was now banking dangerously near a full house.

It was only at the start of the second set that Norrie was able to exert pressure on that Federer serve for the first time. But the Swiss swatted away two break points with the stonewall style of yesteryear, and shortly afterwards it was Norrie who was behind once more, making mistakes which seemed to bemuse even him.

He stayed in touch, but could do no more. Even in his best moments in the third set, it felt like he was hanging on. So it came like a thunderbolt from nowhere when he broke to love at the death, to take the match into a fourth set.


The rallies were longer now, testing the 15 years Federer was giving his opponent, and exposing his lack of matches since the start of 2020. But there was none of the negative attitude (his own description) which crowded his mindset during his shock last 16 defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime last month on the grass of Halle, where the Swiss had previously amassed ten trophies. Norrie was like sticky tape on Federer’s fingers, coming back from a break down and saving more break points thereafter. But the Swiss broke again, and this time it was fatal

So Federer goes through. A place in the last eight hinges on his fourth round meeting with the No.23 seed Lorenzo Sonego, runner-up at Eastbourne last month, whom Federer beat in their only previous encounter, on clay.

Wimbledon’s favourite son has at least one more chapter in him this Fortnight. Gather round, children, and listen closely as the tale unfolds. There’s life in the old legend yet. 

wimbledon.com