Fans of Roger Federer will have to wait longer for seeing the Swiss star return to the court. Ahead of the US Open, the 40-year-old confirmed his withdrawal not just from the hard court Grand Slam, but the next few tournaments on the ATP tour.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion cited the need for knee surgery as the reason for his withdrawal.

Roger Federer will not chase his 21st Grand Slam title in the US Open

After his loss to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships, Federer withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics citing a knee injury. While many thought he would make it the US Open, the Swiss star faced a major blow due to the need for knee surgery.

During a video on Instagram, Federer shared the terrible news with the world. He said, “I’ll be on crutches for many weeks and out of the game for many months. I want to give myself a glimmer of hope of returning to the Tour in some shape or form.”

This withdrawal means Federer will not chase a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title at the US Open. In addition, this indefinite hiatus also means he could move out of the Top 10 in the ATP rankings for the first time in four years.

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Djokovic and Nadal likely to chase record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Flushing Meadows

Federer is tied with his long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at 20 Grand Slam titles. With the Swiss star now out of action, the onus is on Djokovic and Nadal to chase this piece of history in Flushing Meadows.

Although Djokovic has three Grand Slam victories this year, he couldn’t taste gold in the Tokyo Olympics. In addition, the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev could upset the Serbian and Nadal this year.

However, one cannot count them out despite missing the warmup tournaments before the hard court Grand Slam. Can either of them become the outright leader after September 12? Or will another new name feature on the list of winners of the US Open?

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