Tennis icon Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics, joining tennis superstars Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. Due to a knee issue, he has withdrawn from the Olympics and will undergo more treatment after two surgeries in the last 18 months.
Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam champion, was last seen in the semifinals of Wimbledon, where he fell to Hubert Hurkacz, a lesser-known player. The Swiss aims to compete in the US Open the following month.
Federer stated, “during the grass-court season, I, unfortunately, experienced a setback with my knee, and I 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. I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar. As always, Hopp Schwiz!”
The Swiss star won gold in doubles and silver in singles in Beijing in 2008 and 2012, losing in the singles final to Andy Murray. Federer is now ranked ninth in the world. In the last two years, Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the 2020 French Open and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who won a 20th major at Wimbledon 2021, have both matched his Grand Slam count.
Meanwhile, Johanna Konta withdrew from Wimbledon before the tournament began because a member of her staff tested positive for Covid, forcing her to withdraw and isolate herself. She claims she had symptoms after that and has since tested positive, adding that she has been unable to train for the past two and a half weeks and was concerned she would not be ready to participate in Tokyo.
She said, “this is a heartbreaking reality for me, as representing Team GB at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 is one of my most treasured memories from my career. I’ll be doing my best to get back to full health and fitness and ready to be competing again soon. During this time, I’ll also be glued to my TV cheering on my fellow Team GB athletes and hope you will all join me”.
