Roger Federer Pulls Out of Tokyo Olympics Due to Knee Injury, Another Big Blow to the Summer Games

(Photo : TPN/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Roger Federer of Switzerland leaves centre court after his loss to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the quarter finals of the gentlemen's singles during Day Nine of The Championships - Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2021 in London, England.

Roger Federer, the 20-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympian, announced that he would not represent Switzerland in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He said that a recent knee injury forced the sad decision.

"During the grass court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games," Federer said in a social media statement. "I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honor and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland," the tennis legend added.

Federer's storied Olympic career all but over

The Swiss maestro competed in each Olympics between 2000 and 2012, capturing men's doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 and men's singles silver in London in 2012. Federer then missed the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro due to a knee injury.

Federer was looking to win the ever-elusive men's singles gold in Tokyo, but his problematic knee wrecked his plans again. He underwent two knee operations in 2020 and was just starting to get his groove back this year, reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals, where he lost in a tough four-setter to Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.

With another knee setback, more questions are being asked about Federer's tennis future. He will be turning 40 years old soon, and with every passing injury, it's only a matter of time before Federer calls time on his storied tennis career.

Novak Djokovic also pondering Olympics withdrawal

Federer's unexpected withdrawal delivered another huge blow to the Tokyo Olympics, which will start in just a couple of weeks. Several star tennis players have already announced their decision to skip the Olympics this year, including Spanish legend Rafael Nadal, 23-time Slam winner Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin, Simona Halep, Nick Kyrgios, Dominic Thiem, Bianca Andreescu, and recent Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov.

Contributing to the mass withdrawals are the significant restrictions brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan recently declared a state of emergency, resulting in Tokyo venues for the pandemic-delayed Olympics not having any spectators for the entire duration of the Games.

It has forced world no. 1 Novak Djokovic to do a major rethink of his Olympic plans. Djokovic said that the lack of fans and spectators for the Summer Games as well as the strict COVID-19 restrictions are weighing on his decision to compete in Tokyo. He said his plan was always to go to the Olympics, but now, "It's kind of 50-50."

Djokovic not going to the Olympics will be a major loss for tennis fans as the Serbian star has a fantastic opportunity to create history. Having already won the Australian Open, French Open, and the Wimbledon Championships this year, Djokovic needs the Olympic gold medal and U.S. Open crown to become the first man to ever win a Golden Slam.

In addition, the Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing in Djokovic's illustrious trophy cabinet that now contains a whopping 20 Grand Slam titles.