Federer will also miss tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Bogota and Miami
Thursday 20 February 2020 13:39, UK
Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from a number of tournaments, including the French Open, after surgery on his right knee.
The 38-year-old underwent arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland on Wednesday.
As a result, the 20-time Grand Slam winner confirmed he will miss ATP events in Dubai later this month, Indian Wells, Bogota and Miami in March, as well as the French Open at Roland Garros, which begins on May 24.
Federer will hope to have fully recovered in time for Wimbledon in June, where he will bid to add to his record eight titles. He also plans to play at the Olympics in Tokyo a few weeks later.
"My right knee has been bothering me for a little while," Federer said in a statement on Twitter.
"I hoped it would go away, but after an examination, and discussion with my team, I decided to have arthroscopic surgery in Switzerland yesterday.
"After the procedure, the doctors confirmed that it was the right thing to have done and are very confident of a full recovery.
"As a result, I will unfortunately have to miss Dubai. Indian Wells, Bogota, Miami and the French Open.
"I am grateful for everyone's support. I can't wait to be back playing again soon, see you on the grass."
Wimbledon, which Federer has won a record eight times, begins on June 29.
Federer has been cutting down his tournament appearances in recent years in a bid to prolong his career.
He arrived at last month's Australian Open having not played a competitive match since the ATP Finals in London in November but still reached the last four, where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Check our news, reports and reaction from all major tennis events by following us on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
