Roger Federer will miss one month of action after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. He sustained a torn meniscus just one day after being beaten by Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Australian Open.
The 34 year old will miss the World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and the Dubai Championships. Federer is currently the reigning champion of the Dubai Championship and will not get the chance to recapture his title following the injury.
Federer announced the news via his Facebook account. The statement read:
"I want to inform you that yesterday I underwent arthroscopic surgery on my knee. I injured my knee the day after the semi-finals in Australia. After getting tests done when I returned home, it was determined that I had torn my meniscus.
He continued: "I apologize to my friends in Rotterdam and Dubai, as I was very much looking forward to playing those events. While this is an unfortunate setback, I am encouraged and grateful that my doctor said the procedure was a success.
"I am looking forward to attacking the rehabilitation process this afternoon with my team and working hard to get back out on tour as soon as possible. Thanks for all your incredible support. I will check in with all of you soon".
Federer has won 17 Grand Slams, with his latest coming in 2012 at Wimbledon.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.