Federer considered playing Olympics while skipping US Open, and vice versa

Maybe Roger Federer could play the Olympics and skip the U.S. Open. Or sit out the Rio Games and make it to New York.

The 17-time major champion contemplated both scenarios, holding out hope as long as he could that he'd find a way to enter at least one of the big events in August.

In the end, his balky left knee wouldn't allow him to do either.

At a meeting with doctors and trainers, Federer recalled, ''Everybody said, `You need a break - right now.'''

So the Swiss great announced in late July that he'd miss the rest of the season, by far the longest layoff of a remarkably healthy career.

Federer, who turned 35 this month, was in Manhattan on Wednesday to talk about playing tennis next year at the new Laver Cup team event. But for the first time since 1999, he's not preparing for the U.S. Open.

He underwent an arthroscopic procedure in February to repair torn cartilage - the first surgery of his career. Federer hasn't played since his Wimbledon loss to Milos Raonic, in which he fell awkwardly and called the trainer to check on what had become a nagging knee problem.

''I never really had pain, funny enough,'' Federer said Wednesday. ''It just felt unstable.''

Then there was the swelling.

''When it's swollen, you can't compete at the best level,'' he added.

An MRI didn't show anything distinctly different from before. For all his upbeat talk Wednesday about his future, Federer let some doubts seep in when he discussed the mystery of what's going on in the knee.

''That's why, I think, it's been to some extent frustrating,'' he said. ''At least if I had a lot of pain, or if the scan shows you thoroughly what exactly the problem is, then I think it's easier to take a decision.

''I really hope I'm not being misled by the knee that it doesn't feel painful. But it's just not 100 percent. That's why I just think the beating that I got in Wimbledon and the clay court season was just so complicated.''

Federer, who also skipped the French Open because of a bad back, didn't play tennis for five or six weeks and just now is starting to do a few things on the court. He's focused on exercises to strengthen his left quadriceps, such as squats, so he'll be physically ready once he ramps back up to his full workouts to prepare for January's Australian Open.

It might have been possible to return for a couple of tournaments late in 2016, Federer said, but there was no point once he knew he would miss the bulk of the fall schedule.

He reflected back to this past January, when the Laver Cup concept was unveiled at the Australian Open, and marveled: ''My God, I never thought I was going to have a year the way I had it.''

He hurt his knee while preparing a bath for his twin daughters, then later saw his record 65-appearance streak at major tournaments end. Federer won't win a title in a season for the first time since 2000.

He insisted he hasn't missed competition yet, though maybe that will change when the U.S. Open starts next week. The quiet away from the spotlight has been nice, he said - even if he quickly amended that to: ''I've got four kids - it's a different quiet.''

Back in New York, site of five of his titles, Federer said he watched a lot of volleyball during the Olympics and spoke to Andy Murray after the Brit won gold.

Date: 30 August 2016, Source: AP

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Roger Federer to miss rest of season, including Olympics, US Open with knee injury

Roger Federer will miss the Rio Olympics and the remainder of the 2016 season, including the US Open, in order to fully recover from the knee surgery he underwent earlier this year.

Federer went under the knife for the first time in his career in February, having suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee following a run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

In a statement on his Facebook page, the 34-year-old wrote: "I'm extremely disappointed to announce that I will not be able to represent Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Rio and that I will also miss the remainder of the season.

"Considering all options after consulting with my doctors and my team, I have made the very difficult decision to call an end to my 2016 season as I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year.

"The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover.

"It is tough to miss the rest of the year. However, the silver lining is that this experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries.

"The love I have for tennis, the competition, tournaments and of course you, the fans remains intact. I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017."

The announcement means that Federer will not defend his titles in Cincinnati and Basel. The five-time US Open champion will not appear in the final Grand Slam of the year for the first time in his professional career.

Federer was also forced to sit out Roland Garros this year due to ongoing rehab following the knee surgery, breaking a record of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances dating back to the 2000 Australian Open.

The Swiss star finishes 2016 with a 21-7 record, which includes finishing as runner-up in Brisbane and posting semi-final showings at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. This marks the first year since 2001 that Federer has not won an ATP World Tour title.

Federer often has spoken about how much the Olympics mean to him, in part because he met his wife, Mirka, when both were athletes at the 2000 Sydney Games. Federer won a silver medal in singles for Switzerland four years ago in London, and he teamed up with Stan Wawrinka to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In Brazil, Federer was expected to play singles, doubles with Wawrinka, and mixed doubles with Martina Hingis.

Switzerland's Olympic association rued the withdrawal of Federer, his country's flag bearer at both the 2004 and 2008 Games, but chef de mission Ralph Stoeckli sympathised with the tennis star's decision.

"Nothing is more important for an athlete than their health. We wish Roger Federer a quick recovery and we look forward to following his outstanding career next year," Stoeckli said in a Swiss Olympic Team statement.

Date: 26 July 2016, Source: AP, ATP and AFP

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Federer to lead Switzerland Olympic tennis team

Roger Federer was selected to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the Rio Olympics by the Swiss Tennis Federation, which announced its full six-player roster.

Also selected were Martina Hingis, Stan Wawrinka, Belinda Bencic, Timea Bacsinszky and doubles specialist Xenia Knoll, whose place is dependent on International Tennis Federation approval.

Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam singles champion and an Olympic singles silver medalist, has long been expected to play singles and mixed doubles with Hingis in Rio.

The Swiss federation selecting Federer for men’s doubles, too, leaves open the possibility that he and Wawrinka could pair together for a third straight Games. They won gold at Beijing 2008 and were upset in the second round at London 2012.

However, Federer did not play mixed doubles when it returned to the Olympic program in 2012. Federer has expressed doubt that he could play all three of singles, doubles and mixed doubles at the Olympics, given the crowded schedule.

Hingis, 35, returns to the Games for the first time since her Olympic debut in 1996. As expected, she is listed in doubles and mixed doubles but not singles.

Date: 21 June 2016, Source: Swiss Tennis

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Federer set to play mixed doubles with Hingis at Rio Olympics

Roger Federer is expected to play mixed doubles with fellow Swiss national Martina Hingis at the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, Le Matin Dimanche newspaper reported, revealing what the paper called a "Dream Team".

There had been widespread speculation that the two Swiss stars would team up.

Hingis had reportedly made the offer to play with Federer and was waiting for a response from the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles.

"Federer will play with Hingis. It's decided," Le Matin Dimanche said in a report that listed the composition of the Swiss "probable teams" for Rio.

Federer had reportedly promised to declare his openness to the prospective Hingis pairing by the end of the year.

Federer is also set to play men's doubles with Stan Wawrinka, the current world number four, with 11 ATP titles to his name, the paper reported.

Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luethi, who will also lead the tennis squad in Rio, was quoted by the paper saying the goal for the 2016 summer games was "to win all the gold medals".

"Why not?... We can always dream," he said.

Hingis will play women's doubles with Belinda Bencic, a rising star who cracked the women's tour in 2011 and has already claimed more than $2 million in career earnings.

Bencic will also play mixed doubles with Wawrinka, according to the report.

Date: 6th December 2015, Source: AFP

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