Hey all, not really breaking news this as I'm a little late to get around to this but sadly Roger is out for a month after tearing his miniscus the day after the Australian Open Semi Final. Subsequently he's undergone a small surgical procedure back in Switzerland to fix it which means he will be miss both Rotterdam and Dubai.
Roger broke the news on his Facebook page earlier today which you can see below:
I want to inform you that yesterday I underwent arthroscopic surgery on my knee. I injured my knee the day after the semi-finals in Australia. After getting tests done when I returned home, it was determined that I had torn my meniscus. I apologize to my friends in Rotterdam and Dubai, as I was very much looking forward to playing those events. While this is an unfortunate setback, I am encouraged and grateful that my doctor said the procedure was a success. I am looking forward to attacking the rehabilitation process this afternoon with my team and working hard to get back out on tour as soon as possible. Thanks for all your incredible support. I will check in with all of you soon.
Naturally it's sent fans into widespread panic but from my understanding it's a fairly straightforward procedure and it isn't a ‘bad' injury. It's quite common in football and in fact it's the same tear Luis Suarez picked up before the 2014 World Cup. He was able to play again in three weeks and according to a surgeon at the time who was responding to questions around his speedy recovery:
It is possible to do minor, tidy-up-type surgery and to be back performing at a high level within a few weeks.
Since then Suarez has been back to his absolute best for Barcelona, and is easily the best striker in the world as it stands so he's living proof that you can bounce back from it and perform to a high level in a much more physical sport. So I don't think we'll be too far away from seeing Fed step on the court again. Hopefully rehab goes well, it heals quickly and there are no long term effects.
We'll no doubt hear more about it in the coming weeks or whenever Federer is next asked as it will be interesting to find out how he actually tore the tissue the day after the Semi Final.
Now onto more pressing matters – what I am going to blog about for the next 6 weeks? 😆
Don’t know
Whoa, had the time to read the whole thing and contemplate a long response before noticing there were no comments. I personally think you could do a few stats pieces, Jon? We already have a couple of fan reports on the way.
I suppose it could be time for the big gif to make a comeback 😉
Also, reckon there are always videos, points, season reviews, and opinion pieces you could go for? I know the folk here like to express themselves, and I personally enjoy little more than a well written opinion piece on tennis or fed in general.
Yeah hopefully we get fan a new fan story.
Cheers for the idea. Hard to think of any stats pieces off the top of my head. Will see if anything crops up.
First?
Urrrrgh John!!! :p
I think I’m more miffed about Federer not getting the chance to play Djokovic in Dubai where Federer has the best shot of beating that machine.
Me too 🙁
Fast courts always make good viewing. Will have to do make do with some highlights from yesteryear.
Good question to End Article, Not sure on answer though..
Ok and seriously. How in the world does someone (a sportsman at that) tear a ligament off the court!!!? A day after a high profile match!? Trust Dorkerer to manage something like that. I wonder what antics he was upto? Haha.
He kicked a Novak portrait!
I figure one of his youngsters caused him to change direction at speed without warning…
Either that, or as someone pointed out on Twitter, maybe it’s actually been bothering him, but he didn’t want any talk of it affecting his performance in the semi.
Yeah hard to say. can’t imagine he was training the day after?
Seems unlikely. I’d have thought they’d have been moving back to Dubai/Switzerland, or taking some time off.
“it will be interesting to find out how he actually tore the tissue the day after the Semi Final.
Now onto more pressing matters – what I am going to blog about for the next 6 weeks? ?”
Yes, I wondered how he tore it, too 🙂
Book a last-minute holiday, Jon?
Already done that 🙂
But still got a big window for blog topics. I have about 2 in mind.
Sign’o the times…
Prince version:
In France a skinny man died
From a big disease with a little name
By chance his girlfriend came across a needle
And soon she did the same
Roger version:
Downunder a crafty man would collide
With a big tin can and felt a little pain
In a prance he kicked it while taking a piddle
And soon his knee was hanging from a crane
The metrics don’t match, but anyway…
What did I just read? 😆
Wow Rui…. I love how you have taken my favorite artist Prince and changed one of his best album’s Sign O the timeswith a tennis analogy to the lyrics of it. Very good indeed. I have nearly all his albums and believe me I have alot plus his videos and dvd including the Sign O the times concert Dvd. What you have done is what Prince does Rui, is you have written a song about Tennis like Prince who can write songs virtually about anything and make it cool. I definitely didn’t expect to read this.
HeHe! Murli can rest assured that I’m not willing to take his place as the resident poetry-maker!…
In the meantime, the next weeks will be a complete drag. I’m sick and tired of these tennisbots. But I’m not stating anything original, really…
Thanks, J, for putting the injury/repair into perspective…at least Murray is out for Feb too due to baby–that way he cannot gain pts on Fed, who, I thought, had reason to hope for a win in both Rotterdam and Dubai. 🙁
“Perspective” was exactly the word that came to my mind too Emily – thank you Jonathan for giving us some, great idea to point out another athlete who’s had the same thing. Of course everybody heals differently, etc etc, but reason to be optimistic.
Still disappointing of course; as others have said, Dubai has often been a happy hunting ground for him, & Rotterdam was going all out for him – chances at both should have been good.
Better that this should happen now, when he still seems dedicated to continuing playing, than later when he might take it as a nudge towards, um, not?
Yeah good point Thinker about coming when he’s still keen to play.
If you had to pick a time of year to get an injury then February is one of the better times of the year.
Annoying for fans who had tickets mind, but what can you do.
March might have been better, though. I’d been expecting him to get the No. 2 position back again – at least for a while. Oh well, can’t be helped.
Spot on Jonathan, I had semi finals tickets for Rotterdam. Third time unlucky on not being able to see him in person. I am gutted for Katyani.
Of course I was panicking! And gutted too. I was so looking forward to seeing him in action again; missing Dubai (and a chance at an 8th title to match Cincy) is a real blow. But, as usual, you have given us cheering news on how quickly an elite athlete can recover. I hope this is true for the champ and we at least see him in action at IW :). Long time to wait though -boo hoo 🙁
He’s in good shape physically so should be able to recover quick. Bound to get the best service going at a Swiss clinic too.
HE HEARD MY CRY!!!!
https://twitter.com/delpotrojuan/status/694910439852019712
C’MON JUAN!
Vamos!
Good to see. As long as he doesn’t knock Roger out of anything important, of course 🙂 But seriously, the game needs him.
I thought tennis was physically more challenging than football especially on different surfaces 🙁
I feel bad already. Why o why didn’t we just bag The AO.
Damn Djokovic!!! Well, every dog has its day, I’m so interested in knowing how long Djokovic’s will last.
I’m sure Nadal has started peeing in his pants when he thinks of the possibility that Djokovic may catch up to his 14 GS this year .
Well I think he wouldn’t . The tennis gods have a way of stopping you at a certain number 😉
Tennis is a different type of movement but football overall is more physical on the body I think. Contact sport for starters (or at least it’s meant to be)
More injuries in football – but then again you don’t need to play to get paid. Tennis you do.
Imagine Fed beating Djokovic on Thursday, tearing the meniscus on Friday and then forfeiting the Finals on Sunday to Murray.
Nevertheless, it has thrown all my plans into disarray. The Dubai Open this year is coinciding with the Dubai Jazz Fest with Toto, Sting & Santana playing live. So was planning to catch both tennis & music. But having had watched Toto & Santana live earlier, doesn’t make sense to go if Roger not there.
‘Fedless’ February – Jobless Jonathan ( unprecedented for you too for sure Jonathan )
He would have played with it I think had he made finals. You can play with it from what I have read but could stiffen up.
Imagine Fed beating Djokovic and then having to forfeit, and Kim going into labour on the Saturday … thankfully that didn’t happen.
You can safely say Murli is pissed when he gave up a good rhyme to make a point.
Felt quite sick when I saw this news but Rog already so positive about attacking the rehab and with you now putting things in perspective, I am confident he will be back stronger and better! I actually feel he may hv damaged it during the SF… Aggravated it or felt it the next day, scanned back in Switzerland, and operated on immediately! I hear he has great surgeon and obviously had good team so fingers crossed IW will be on target!!
You can do it and not realise, flairs up at a later date. So could have been carrying it a while, or like he said he did it day after.
Quite fancy a highlight reel… If u r looking for something to do….?
My video editing skills are non existent 🙂 Will see what I can come up with.
And yes good news about Delpo…
Yeah finally making a comeback. Hopefully goes well. Wonder if he has a 1 hander now…
About that one-hand thing: yesterday during the Cabbagewriter/Benetton match, the commenter went about the merits of the 2 hand BH for countless minutes and how much more reliable it was, and that it should be thaught more at tennis schools and blah-blah-blah.
Damn these kidney twisters!
Anybody see Reem Abulleil’s article on the young Egyptian junior who was – well, frankly, snubbed by Roger last year? He did acknowledge maybe he just caught him at a bad time…
I’ll see if I can find that link again.
Here it is… does sound like something else is going on to me, but I would certainly be susceptible to making excuses for him… dunno.
http://sport360.com/article/tennis/international-tennis/160305/a-day-with-youssef-hossam-courting-attention-down-under/
Really not enough information to judge in 2 sentences. Could have been whatever time it is someone said Roger never gives autographs, or anything really. But I’m sure some hater somewhere will leap on it as evidence of something.
Yeah he gets enough autograph hunters in the grounds, bit of an annoyance to have them in the locker room too. For all we know the guy made an offer to swap Mirka for 10 camels.
Isn’t the author a big Djokovic fan? 😆
Who knows, but also who cares?
I find her pretty well-balanced actually.
Terrible news. Hopefully the rehab goes well and he can come back fully fit as soon as possible. I’m most disappointed that he’ll get to miss out on Dubai, one of his best tournaments over the last 13 years….
Yeah quick court always makes good viewing. Oh well, least I can get on with work 😆
Wow. This is in German, talks about every injury Fed’s ever had (((!!!))) (some aren’t even injuries, just illnesses), and includes a picture of him on CRUTCHES in 2005 – I had COMPLETELY forgotten he strained ligaments that year – of course the internet wasn’t what it is now either, so none of us had the means to be quite as obsessed as we are now 😉 – says he missed Madrid & Paris after getting hurt at Basel (tournament schedule changes since then, I think).
http://www.watson.ch/!308112695?utm_medium=earned&utm_source=app&utm_rainbowunicorn=0&utm_campaign=share-tracking
In a career spanning 18 years as a pro, it’s very few. There will be more too that we never hear of – you can play with all sorts of niggles.
Yes, exactly – kind of impressive that even when they were LOOKING for stuff, they still had to scrape the barrel.
I’m pretty sure Roger’s had many minor physical problems that he’s played through and has not brought to the forefront.
He already had a huge gap planned where he was going to skip the clay season. Now that he is having this long break, do you think he will play all those clay masters assuming the rehab goes well?
He’ll probably play at least one, maybe Monte Carlo….
Would be great!
First match back an M1000? Far from ideal. What was that liddl’ bitty 250 Murray went and won last year? He may need to factor in an early return in order to get his game going again, so MC does seem sensible.
I am in a conundrum. I hate to see Roger play one of his shitty matches but when he isn’t playing the other guys leave me rigid with boredom. Hopefully, the prognosis on a torn miniscus isn’t too bad.
BTW, it’s interesting that Roger has surgery on his knee – the first knee injury we have heard he has had – whereas Nadal, with the constant stream of knee injuries he is supposed to have had, has never actually had knee surgery. I guess Roger’s injury is real.
Rafa’s never had knee surgery? Thought he’d had hundreds…
No, Wanda, he has had PRP treatments, which involves injections into the knees. His main problems have reportedly involved tendinitis, for which, surprisingly, he has never required actual surgery. Interesting, don’t you think?
Yeah never been under the knife, just blood spinning.
And stem cell treatments.
Being the greedy Fed fan, disappointed not to see him flying all over the court in Dubai. Also Rotterdam…sorry Katyani. He had such a good chance to win both of these!
I don’t know if I buy the statement that he injured his knee exactly the day after the semis. Is this so people won’t think he is using this as an excuse to the Djokovic loss? Sounds fishy to me.
Well, I can’t bail on my trip to Indian Wells. Everything organized and paid for. Fingers crossed he is able to play but at what level?
In our boredom, maybe we should all become Gasquet fans.
I do wonder whether the injury was born during that crazy rally near the end of the semi. Maybe he tweaked it then and it got worse the day after.
According to this German article, http://www.bernerzeitung.ch/sport/tennis/federer-muss-sich-jetzt-gedulden/story/17342115 he did it while playing with his kids in the park – he could have twisted it awkwardly or whatever. It also suggests 8 weeks before Federer might return to the tour – that would put it beyond IW which would be another blow. 🙁
“According to this German article, http://www.bernerzeitung.ch/sport/tennis/federer-muss-sich-jetzt-gedulden/story/17342115 he did it while playing with his kids in the park ”
No it doesn’t. It merely asks the specialist how it might have happened, and he gives various possible scenarios.
I bet he did his knee in when dicking about in those new Nike shoes he posted about the day after the semi-final!
This article in French, from swiss Le Matin (also speculative), suggests that it depends on the specific type of injury/surgery: If they’re putting in sutures it can mean a hiatus of several months; if they’re removing a fragment that “creates a mechanical conflict in the knee”, recovery can be just a few weeks.
The doctor they’re interviewing also says, concerning how such an injury can occur:
“Excess kilometres accumulated during the career of a high level sportsman can create wear at the origin point of this kind of tear. But a false movement of the knee can also be the cause. Federer’s age should not, in principle, prevent him from recuperating rapidly.”
I had hoped to find whatever Le Matin actually had yesterday about that walk in the park, but all I find is references to it, not the actual article.
http://www.lematin.ch/sports/tennis/peut-recuperer-tres-vite-dechirure-menisque/story/24953398
Oh right – well my German is pretty sketchy Alison – I thought it was suggesting that’s what happened, not that it really matters. Trust MiniPeople to come up with this:
https://twitter.com/SwissMinipeople/status/695575382087639041 😆
It’s just pure speculation about the park thing. If you are looking for facts I wouldn’t read the news 😆
@Rakhesh – reckon that Nike pic was scheduled, prob taken weeks ago.
So, that Blick article Jon’s Twitter feed links to claims he felt it in training the day after the semifinal. Seems odd to me that he’d go back to training there, on open-air hard courts, when his next tournament would be indoor? And anyway, how do they know? It’s not as if the article is full of hard facts …
Never heard of him “training” the day after a big tournament. Usually it’s a day of rest?
@ Jonathan yeah I was joking 😀
Hopefully Federer plays Monte Carlo or/and Rome if he returns to get hitting rhythm for the rest of the year. Would be nice winning a Master that he has never won before.
Rome prob the most realistic of the two.
Well, I don’t know. It’s a bit close before RG if he was wanting to get back into any sort of form for that – I know he doesn’t have a chance of winning it, but even so I guess he’ll be wanting to do reasonably well there. OTOH, he does have that very long section of the season immediately following that, so won’t want to over-compete either. Maybe just a longer training block if he’s not ready for IW, which I suspect he won’t be …
Waaaahhh… Wish him well……….. saaaaddd..coz im looking forward for the Dubai tournament.nah…. looking at the bright side, Rolland Garros is months away….
Roger Federer, great great Roger, the greatest of all time, all right? 😆
Roger Federer Delusion by Fed RF Maestro
https://youtu.be/nyBxoMMPdwE
Thanks for the post Jonathan, just pray for the very best for Roger, Meanwhile hope I wouldn’t die of boredom…
Cool video that one. Raz Ols just did a compilation of his best Dubai points too which I put on FB.
Talking of dying of boredom, I wonder whether Roger will be doing another AskRF in the near future?
I would love to see if you could do something like the post below again? So funny, one of my favourites! Though I know it will require of you a lot of work.
https://www.perfect-tennis.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-roger-federer-fan/
My favourite too ?
Jonathan did about Federer’s 2013 so far on similar content, both of them are awesome!
What??? Link, please!
Still fun! Thanks – a CLASSIC!
2013 ,muser if you have not seen this https://www.perfect-tennis.com/the-story-of-federers-2013-season-so-far/
THANKS, pranshul – being a kid here from I think 2014, this is “new” to me, – but very very nice description of those former hardships 🙂
Wow. That was almost four years ago. Time is flying.
Thanks a ton, that was a terrific post by Jonathan. Thoroughly enjoyed Pranshul’s link too. Needed some cheering after seeing this news on FB. Was feeling very worried for Roger, because I assumed knee injuries to negatively impact mobility. Also, suddenly the vista of tennis without Roger opened up, and I was feeling absolutely bereft (never mind on my previous contrary views on the right retirement date).
Hope he recovers well and fast.
Cheers. I think the first one is the best of the two.
I’ve thought about doing another a few times but I don’t think I can better the original, most of them still apply to this day.
The moron in the skateboard that ends up eating raw turnips is portuguese. I know that road. Great for biking, not so for skating 🙂
Let’s look at the bright side, seems like February is almost over.
For Indian Wells, if you must buy tickets, you can buy just 1st round or 2nd round tickets, I don’t expect him to kill himself on the courts on his first tourney back from surgery.
DAMN, I MISS YOU ROGER!!!
I just didn’t see this in my crystal ball. Anyway we can get him a huge get well soon e – card Jonathan? I am not techy savvy, but don’t know if it can be done.
I am sure the doctors assured him he will be back to 100% unless he would have considered something else. Won’t be surprised if he started having the niggling feeling from the knee at Brisbane.
I think some fans will be doing something no doubt, the #getwellrf thing on Twitter was pretty popular.
Did it happen during the semi or after? How could it happen ‘after’?
I just feel uneasy when surgeons waved scalpels on his ‘holy’ body.
Supposedly after but no confirmation on how.
“His ‘holy’ body” – 😆 Don’t worry Gang, JesusFed resurrects.
Not feeling too positive about this surgery. Depends what the doctor found when he was looking at the damage. Stitches or just remove the damaged cartilage, a lot of factors. Fingers crossed for IW.
We might never find out too much like when and how he injured it. Maybe it was all the miles on the tennis court catching up with him. Just like his back in 2013, he didn’t reveal the seriousness of the situation until the next year.
How exciting…Gasquet is #1 seed at Rotterdam.
If he doesn’t pull out! 😛 He’s had abdominal pains in Montpellier ^^’
Who’s even paying attn???
Any update on Federer’s form before I faint of boredom? :d
Come on! There’s plenty of things to keep our interest in tennis on.
Like… hum… ahem… let me see… huh… no.
I give up.
Ah, yeah: Fritz moved into his first ATP QF. Well done, lad. Keep the profile low.
Yes, it’s been a good week for 18-year olds in both ATP & WTA, for the first time in what feels like forever. Fritz in the QF, Zverev did well in Rotterdam though now out, and an all-18 ladies SF in St. Petersburg with Bencic & Kasatkina.
Having said that – hey Alysha, where’s our fan story PLEASE ??!!
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing…where is the fan story?
Katyani, enjoy the semis! Who you rooting for, Kohli?
Well as the best consolation and tennis-time spending yesterday was Kohli’s prevail vs. Cilic, I would say: Root for this elegant sbh’er today – he deserves it?
Something to read to help with the boredom.
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/peter-carter-roger-federer-first-ever-coach-impact
Thanks Sue. Worth reminding Carter. Heart-stirring. Tells that our boy did not completely escape hardships in his otherwise glorious life.
Watched part of the Nadal / Thiem match….tee hee.
So, I guess, poor Rafa – again!
Actually, I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for Nadal. I know, h2h and all that, but it seems to me he’s a sweet and decent guy. It is no surprise to many that his game style has perhaps led to his early decline. But he is/was a great champion, no where near as technically talented as Federer, but with sheer hard work, he carved himself an incredible legacy. Some nice words from him too on Feds recent injury:
“I feel sorry for him,” Nadal said, reports Tennis World USA. “[The injury] is neither very long nor complicated, and after a good start to the year he can afford to rest for a month. I wish that everything goes very well for him and that he recovers soon.”
We (and our champ) have been so lucky that he has not been dogged by any major physical issues or injury until now, let’s hope his recovery is swift, because, like everybody else, I’m feeling it’s very dull indeed without him.
I want to see the fall and demise of Novak “nobody’s mate” Djokovic. With Nadal his style of play has catched up with him. But Djokovic style of play is the most boring and monotonous and definitely killing the beautiful game of Tennis. Please let Djokovic fall be this year. Fingers crossed. Lol.
As for Federer I hope he comes back strong and starrts winning tournaments again. Federer the true GOAT….
Gah! Klizan winning a 500? There’s something really a bit wrong with the world – oh wait, of course – Roger’s injured 🙁