Knee op rules Federer out until grass-court season

EVERY time Roger Federer announces an injury setback, it inevitably sparks chatter that this might be the beginning of the end for the 20-time Grand Slam champion. His announcement yesterday that he has had knee surgery and will not play until the grass-court season means he will be close to his 39th birthday when he returns. ‘My right knee has been bothering me for a little while,’ he said on social media. ‘I hoped it would go away, but after an examination and discussion with my team, I have decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland. The doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery. I am grateful for everyone’s support. I can’t wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass.’ While his fans might fear the worst, it is worth recalling what happened the last time the Swiss maestro had a knee operation. He missed the second half of the 2016 season — his left knee was bizarrely injured while running a bath for his children — only to come roaring back to claim the Australian Open the following January. The 38-year-old was, of course, four years younger back then. Yesterday’s revelation means Federer (right) will now miss the current swing of hard court tournaments in Dubai and the US, plus the French Open, which was to be his token claycourt outing of the year. Given his success this time 12 months ago, which saw him triumph in Dubai and Miami, as well as getting to the final at Indian Wells, there will be damage done to his No 3 ranking. He also made the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2019. He will slip to the lower end of the top 10, but that may not stop him from being seeded in the top four at Wimbledon, due to SW19 applying a formula which gives an extra weighting to grass-court results. Federer’s scheduled return is likely to be at ATP events in Germany in early to mid-June, and there is the extra incentive of having a last shot at winning a singles Olympic gold medal — about the one thing in tennis that has eluded him in his career. In theory, the veteran would be helped in Tokyo by matches there being only best of three sets.