Federer out for the rest of the season

Dear Fans,
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 realize 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.
Thanks for your continued support.
Roger

I guess it looks like he intends to play next year...thats surprising...such disappointing news

He was never right after the surgery.. back injured trying to compensate,etc.   Really terrible news.

Makes those two 5 setters at Wimbledon all the more impressive.   No one else could have come that close in his shape.

I can't see him coming back as a viable top 3 full time player, but he might be able to get himself into a shape where he can pick his spots for some big titles.   Won't be easy though.

I think he would have won gold in mixed doubles and healthy at least a bronze/silver in singles.. I know he will be disappointed.

So many records will end once he misses all that time.   Just puts in perspective the massive time at the top he has spent.

agreed,you could totally see in the match with cilic how restricted his movement was
i reckon he was plaing with ome pain cause it took a while for him to warm up,he wasnt really finding his form in that match with raonic till the 4th set
i relly believed that he would retire at the end of the year..so i guess this is bitter sweet
hopefully he  recover well and come bang with a bang one last time next year
doesnt matter if he doesnt really win much at leat we still have him on tour a little while longer..
its been a pretty dire year without him

Sadly, this is as good as retirement.

His knee gave way when he fell against Raonic.

I'll never forget when he got up from the chair after the doctor saw him,  his locks pressed around his face in cold sweat, expression of complete dread.

Yet he played till the end.

Even the way he waved at the crowd as he was leavng CC looked like a farewell.

I don't know what more to say...the world will never see such a majestic sight.

I shall have my private "minute of silence".

Silence or silent ban?

Wow this is bizarre I must say. He played ok at Wimbledon but must have injured himself there...unless it is a silent ban indeed. I'd be surprised if it's drug related as he is certainly the most fragile player out there.

Tenez wrote:Wow this is bizarre I must say. He played ok at Wimbledon but must have injured himself there...unless it is a silent ban indeed. I'd be surprised if it's drug related as he is certainly the most fragile player out there.

One part of me says, there's a small chance he accidentally took something from a medicine that was banned.

Another part says, something like this was bound to happen eventually, consider that he has been moving very carefully on court the last few years.

Hope that it is a genuine injury.

Such a shame.   And, yes, it is a genuine injury; do not be stupid.

Federer stands to lose 3815 points if I have calculated correctly.  meaning he will be left on 2130.  He's gonna be way outside the top 10 and probably around 16-19th place at year end.

i am with NITB on this one,i think this is a genuine injury and has nothing to do with any kind of silent ban,i think that he hurt his knee when he fell in the semi final match with raonic,most likely the same knee he had the op on

i think that if it was a slient ban then  he would most likely just retire cause whats the point fighting the ITF to play at his age?
so it remains to be seen what happens when/if he returns in 2017

@Truffin1
remember when ruffin was predicting federer dropping out of the top10 when was it way back in 09=2010
its 2016 and it will be the first time federer will be out of the top 10 since what at least 2003? and not because of his playing but rather the lack there of due to injury lol

I don't think the fall hurt it, I think the fall was caused by the problem. He played injured which is something you might do if you know there's no one left can't beat, and you're at the tail end.

Whether we see him back I dint know, but I think we will. Ranking won't matter, the game is in such a state now it's not important.

==================================

Luthi:


"The knee does not need surgery,” the 17-time Grand Slam champion's coach said. “That's important."

"Since Wimbledon, we hoped he could play again rapidly,” Luthi told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. “But we have not even been on the practice court since, which is why this step became obvious ... If Wimbledon did not mean so much, he probably also would have not played it."

However, he added that "it is not concerning.”

“He has just not played tennis,” Luthi said. “He is working with the physio ... This means he is rebuilding the whole muscle structure, the back and the leg ... If he had to play tennis today, he could do that also. The question is at what level and with what price."

According to Luthi, Federer's fall in the Wimbledon semifinals did not affect his decision to take the rest of the season off.

"No, it has nothing to do with this fall," he said. "There he had a moment of being afraid, because he did not know what had happened and because he was not fully fit. Till now, he has had few experiences with injuries."

Luthi added that some of Federer’s other physical issues might have played a part in the Swiss suffering a knee injury.

"I could be wrong,” he said. “But for me, in retrospect, the back also has something to do with the knee."

He said the team would now develop a detailed schedule. Federer will work with his physiotherapist on his injuries, and can have a longer session with his physical trainer than he usually does while playing. Then he will return to the practice courts, barring a setback.

"The knee does not need surgery,” he said. “That's important. He now wants … to get back to the state where he can compete 100 percent again."

Luthi said he is "entirely convinced" that Federer will return, describing him as "positive and inspired.”

“Usually, the coach would, for weeks, have to pump up the player,” he said. “With him, it's different."

==================================

Yes, the back and knee were linked, the whole leg moving mechanism (lower back, hip knee, ankle, foot) is connected.

Fed is a great athlete, but for his knee to give way as it did in Wimbldon when he fell, indicares a serious problem.
Even if it all got recoverd perfectly, his mind will never be the same.

I was watching his USO 2007 match against Nole...his body language has changed so much.

Confidence is an amazing factor and makes such a difference!

absolutely agree about how much confidence plays a major factor but im not so sure if i agree that his mind will never be the same..
roger is a very odd unique person..1 minute he looks mentally beaten and in a spilt second he can suddenly change that into a winning mentality
i think that the mental side will have a lot to do with him knowing how much he can get out of his body,and the limit he can push it to
interesting to see that luthi mentioned federes back as i suspected all a long that that was prohibiting his movement

Well, nobody fights as bravely as Federer.

But the fact he knows his body has begun to let him down and that he needs it more than ever in this super physical era - may make it more difficult for him to relax...and affect his shot selection as was the case in Wimbledon this year.

His game is so finely tuned it needs time to get going and a reliable body is the key.

noleisthebest wrote:Well, nobody fights as bravely as Federer.

But the fact he knows his body has begun to let him down and that he needs it more than ever in this super physical era - may make it more difficult for him to relax...and affect his shot selection as was the case in Wimbledon this year.

His game is so finely tuned it needs time to get going and a reliable body is the key.

Glad he ended up proving it.

it definitely showed in that match with raonic that he isnt as fast a staer as he used to be and as you said it takes a bit of time to get going
but in fairness he wasnt completely fully fit  so it will be interesting to see how he resturns as a player
federer obviously still feels like hehas something left to prove and i dont think that he will put himself through all that intense training  if he didnt feel like he still has a chance to win
he showed that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level of the game  so i can see why he is still optimitic

It's really bizarre that Fed took the whole rest of year. How does he know he won't be fit for Paris or WTF?

It looks like he has retired to me. I don;t think he will play next year either. He is just going to tell in January us that he is done with it.

Have hope Ten.

To have played at Wimbledon and then rule himself for the rest of the season is an odd turn of events. Let's just see where his ranking is at the end of the year which might give us an inkling to his decision making. 2017 for me will be his last year.

I think he has retired, too.

He gave his last shot at Wimbledon by resting his body for it as much as he could by skipping virtually everything after AO.

I am beginning to think the way Nole destroyed him in the first two sets of their AO match contributed towards it.

Best case scenario, he'll have another go at Wimbledon similar to last year, but it's extremely unlikely.

In a way, I prefer it this way. 
An outright retirement statement would have been a killer.

I always thought Basel would be the location of his final farewell.

I still think 2017 will see Federer one last time.

He should retire because of the awful speeds of the surfaces more than anything else. The ATP have done everything to stop him winning slams.

AceofDeath wrote:He should retire because of the awful speeds of the surfaces more than anything else. The ATP have done everything to stop him winning slams.

Spot on!

I was thinking along the same lines...for him to play now is like to ask a sprinter to run with a gas mask.

Such a shame.

SUCH A SHAME!!!

SUCH A SHAAAAAMEEEEE!!!!!

AceofDeath wrote:He should retire because of the awful speeds of the surfaces more than anything else. The ATP have done everything to stop him winning slams.

Did it with Nicklaus after he won the 1975 Masters. Started to lengthen courses to stop him winning.

The lesson is, not all dominances hurt sports.

noleisthebest wrote:I think he has retired, too.

He gave his last shot at Wimbledon by resting his body for it as much as he could by skipping virtually everything after AO.

I am beginning to think the way Nole destroyed him in the first two sets of their AO match contributed towards it.

Best case scenario, he'll have another go at Wimbledon similar to last year, but it's extremely unlikely.

In a way, I prefer it this way. 
An outright retirement statement would have been a killer.

I agree with this very much. I doung Federer will enjoy a farewell tour so he might go by the small door. That's what I woudl do anyway.

AceofDeath wrote:He should retire because of the awful speeds of the surfaces more than anything else. The ATP have done everything to stop him winning slams.

That's so true. Though it's not surface the problem...it's the bigger balls. he was too good for his own good and teh ATP has done everything to make the rest of teh field more competitive.

He would have won 27 slams with 90s conds ....conds he grew up with.

seems like federer will definitely be back next season
i dont think that he will be saying any of this is he already retired, roger has always been straight up with what he says,theres never been any hidden agenda...he loves to play and will continue doing it for as long s his body can hold up
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/roger-federer-reflects-part-vi-us-open-2016

Guess him and Rafa can always crush all ATP250's for next 5 years, with occasional ATP500 win

Veejay wrote:seems like federer will definitely be back next season
i dont think that he will be saying any of this is he already retired, roger has always been straight up with what he says,theres never been any hidden agenda...he loves to play and will continue doing it for as long s his body can hold up
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/roger-federer-reflects-part-vi-us-open-2016

Well a bit of a mixed bag really. Sure he will play the "famous" Hoffman cup and then the AO and then Dubai. ....but he doesn't say he will play a full schedule. It will depend on his form.

I am certainly hoping he will but from that interview there is a lot of uncertainty about a full schedule.

well thats to be expected,i dont think that anyone expects that he will come back and play a full season,a lot of it will depend on how his body holds up but we now know for sure that we will be seeing federer step onto court as a pro player again

federer hardly played this year but he is the highest paid professional athlete in the world in regards to off court earning,earning $60 million in endorsements in 2016
4 all round highest paid athletes in 2016 after ronaldo,messi and lebron james
not a bad year at all...

What a rip off he is!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38220779

Hopefully that ITPL will die a quick death!

legendkillar wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38220779

Hopefully that ITPL will die a quick death!

smart move by federer

So the fans' favourite does play for the cash and not just the love of fans, after all...

That's a relief!

NITB wrote:So the fans' favourite does play for the cash and not just the love of fans, after all...

That's a relief!

i think that federer has given enough back to the sport an fans to choose not to play just for the fans, especially at his age and dealing with recovering from an injury

he is a professional tennis player. And frankly, i 'd hate travelling that far for free.

Tenez wrote:he is a professional tennis player. And frankly, i 'd hate travelling that far for free.

I don't think any of the players in IPTL are playing for free.

He probably wasn't happy to travel for less than xxxxx number of millions per match...which he can then offload to children in Africa....oh, I am so cynical

NITB wrote:

Tenez wrote:he is a professional tennis player. And frankly, i 'd hate travelling that far for free.

I don't think any of the players in IPTL are playing for free.

He probably wasn't happy to travel for less than xxxxx number of millions per match...which he can then offload to children in Africa....oh, I am so cynical

Federer shouldn't get out of bed for less than his standard fee let alone travel across the globe for less! Good move Fed!

BlueClay wrote:

NITB wrote:

Tenez wrote:he is a professional tennis player. And frankly, i 'd hate travelling that far for free.

I don't think any of the players in IPTL are playing for free.

He probably wasn't happy to travel for less than xxxxx number of millions per match...which he can then offload to children in Africa....oh, I am so cynical

Federer shouldn't get out of bed for less than his standard fee let alone travel across the globe for less! Good move Fed!

Of course...

Just wanted to highlight how much that love for fans costs, that's all as some get carried away in their fandom.

NITB wrote:

BlueClay wrote:

NITB wrote:

Tenez wrote:he is a professional tennis player. And frankly, i 'd hate travelling that far for free.

I don't think any of the players in IPTL are playing for free.

He probably wasn't happy to travel for less than xxxxx number of millions per match...which he can then offload to children in Africa....oh, I am so cynical

Federer shouldn't get out of bed for less than his standard fee let alone travel across the globe for less! Good move Fed!

Of course...

Just wanted to highlight how much that love for fans costs, that's all as some get carried away in their fandom.

Everything has a price. Maybe $1or 2 million was a cheap price for him but IPTL could not afford it. We don't know the numbers so we can't comment on it.
We also heard about some events not paying their last year guest fees...so we don't know what's going on.

But yes I am a fan of federer. More so when I see the alternative.

I am only a fan of his tennis.

That is quite a lot.

The Swi$$ side of him doesn't appeal to me at all.

NITB wrote:I am only a fan of his tennis.

That is quite a lot.

The Swi$$ side of him doesn't appeal to me at all.

Well. he is one with his tennis. His courage, honesty, fair play, flair, intelligence and guts transpire through his game. I think he is an exceptional human being in many respects....otherwise he would not be able to play effortlessly, without grimacing, in this ridiculously grueling tennis world.

Tenez wrote:

NITB wrote:I am only a fan of his tennis.
That is quite a lot.
The Swi$$ side of him doesn't appeal to me at all.

Well. he is one with his tennis. His courage, honesty, fair play, flair, intelligence and guts transpire through his game. I think he is an exceptional human being in many respects....otherwise he would not be able to play effortlessly, without grimacing, in this ridiculously grueling tennis world.

Well, all that falls under this bit:

NITB wrote:I am only a fan of his tennis.
That is quite a lot.
The Swi$$ side of him doesn't appeal to me at all

And I am fully aware of it all. And I can write and write about it more than those fans that follow him around the world.

Maybe I will one day. He is an Inspiration to my pen.

But he is still Swiss.

Oh yeah....he is not perfect....thank God. There is something beasty about him too.....in fact I think it is this beasty side that gives him this raw talent.

Tenez and Federer sitting in a tree, except that Feds wouldn't know if tenez ceases to be

Tenez wrote:Oh yeah....he is not perfect....thank God. There is something beasty about him too.....in fact I think it is this beasty side that gives him this raw talent.

Interesting.

I would have thought it was God given...the raw talent.

Did I understand you correctly?

luvsports! wrote:Tenez and Federer sitting in a tree, except that Feds wouldn't know if tenez ceases to be

Not sure I understand the meaning of this.....

Raw talent comes from the animal world (which in turn comes from God). Apparently our average ancestor would leave Bolt on his tracks.

the short time photographic memory of a monkey is 100 times better than ours. Just watch a seal playing with a ball without much training.

Interesting.

How do you explain the rarity of such raw talent among men?

The ease & speed with which he coordinates and plays to me is unseen by some margin.

And I mean in all sports.

Tenez wrote:Raw talent comes from the animal world (which in turn comes from God). 

Ah, now I understand some of your spiritual posts.

Tenez wrote:

luvsports! wrote:Tenez and Federer sitting in a tree, except that Feds wouldn't know if tenez ceases to be

Not sure I understand the meaning of this.....

Let me have a try, i.e Luv is saying that Tenez wouldn't know that Fed ceased to be, i.e Fed is gone but Tenez can't let go.