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Tennis star Roger Federer is pulling out of the Olympics and will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Federer announced Tuesday on his Facebook page that his left knee needs "extensive rehabilitation" and doctors advised him to sit out the rest of the season.
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"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," Federer wrote. "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."
Federer, who turns 35 next month, was planning to play for Switzerland in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro prior to Tuesday's announcement.
He has dealt with back and knee injuries this season and doesn't have a tour title.
Federer will miss the U.S. Open for the first time since 1999. He has won the event five times.
