Tuesday 26 July 2016 18:51, UK
Roger Federer will miss the rest of 2016 in order to further recuperate his previously injured knee.
The 17-time Grand Slam has endured a troublesome campaign which included withdrawing from the French Open due to a back complaint, although he did reach the Wimbledon semi-final before losing to Milos Raonic.
However, an upcoming appearance at the Olympics will now be cancelled as Federer prepares to sit out until next year as a result of ongoing issues with his knee.
I need more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year.
"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," Federer posted on Facebook.
"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."
