Tennis world gutted over Serena Williams and Roger Federer news
Tennis fans are waking up to the sad realisation that we've almost definitely seen Roger Federer and Serena Williams at the Olympics for the last time.
Federer joined a growing list of tennis stars to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, revealing he tweaked a recurring knee injury at Wimbledon.
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In doing so, he joined Williams, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu among the high-profile tennis stars skipping the Games.
With Federer turning 40 next month and Williams doing likewise in September, there is next-to-no chance the tennis legends will still be playing by the time the next Olympics rolls around in 2024.
Nadal will be 38 in 2024 and also highly unlikely to play at the Paris Games.
Fans expressed their sadness on social media on Tuesday after Federer's withdrawal, with many pointing out what it means for some of the greats of the game.
It will be the first time since the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta that Federer, Nadal and Williams won't be in attendance.
I’ve followed (& played badly) tennis all my life. Laver, McEnroe, Navratilova, Sampras, Serena - they are heroes. But #Federer is the greatest & his time may be up. Sport at its best enriches us all. https://t.co/bue4v50xkS
— louis appleby (@ProfLAppleby) July 13, 2021
No Nadal, no Federer, and likely no Djokovic for the Olympics.
Honestly, they should consider moving tennis to indoors and making it a winter Olympic sport. Nobody is going to play it when you have French, Wimbledon, Olympics, and US Open all within a 2.5 month window.— Maxwell Gregson (@MaxwellGregson) July 13, 2021
Federer and Serena Williams need to accept the fact that they're never winning another GrandSlam. Retire already ❤️❤️
— A. (@Lagataaah) July 13, 2021
No Nadal, no federer?
Micky mouse Olympics Games— Victor Espinoza (@victor_e2001) July 13, 2021
The last time neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal played the Olympics, this guy won. (Getty) pic.twitter.com/AhjYarL8eB
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 13, 2021
No Federer or Nadal at the Olympics what even is the point of tennis then?
— rambujam (@Jordan_miggy) July 13, 2021
The two most important people - Venus and Olympia - wouldn't be able to go with her. There's no point in her playing. And how sad that Olympia is named after the Olympics but she isn't allowed to come this year. I'm sure Serena well take her to Paris in 2024. https://t.co/eNHwISuUYR
— Justin vs. Jay Cee (Justin) (@JayCee1911) June 27, 2021
Roger Federer's injury reveal in Olympics announcement
Federer announced his withdrawal on Tuesday after a "setback" in his recovery from a knee injury.
The 20-time grand slam champion was knocked out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals by Hubert Hurkacz.
The 39-year-old, who has never won an Olympic singles gold medal, underwent two surgeries on his right knee in 2020.
"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 statement on social media.
However the former World No.1 said he's hoping to return to the ATP Tour later in the year.
"I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer," he added.
"I wish the entire Swiss team the best of luck and I will be rooting hard for the team from afar."
An Olympic singles gold medal is the only major achievement Federer is yet to tick off in his illustrious career.
The Swiss champion has completed the career Grand Slam and won the season-ending ATP Finals six times.
He lost in the semi-finals at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and reached the final in 2012, only to be beaten by Andy Murray just weeks after beating the Scot in the Wimbledon final.
However Federer did win a doubles gold medal with Stan Wawrinka at the Beijing Games in 2008.
Federer was bullish about the prospect of retirement after his loss to Hurkacz at Wimbledon, which marked the first time he had lost a set 6-0 at the All England Club and just the third time at a major.
"With everything that comes after Wimbledon, we were always going to sit down and talk about it because clearly now Wimbledon is over," Federer said after the match.
"I got to take a few days. Just see, okay, what do I need to do to get in better shape so I can be more competitive."
He also slipped to ninth in the ATP rankings after Wimbledon - his lowest position since March 2017.
with agencies
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