Roger Federer rules himself out until 2021 after suffering SECOND knee setback

Tennis superstar Roger Federer took to social media to rule himself out of the remainder of the 2020 ATP Tour season after undergoing a second surgery on his right knee.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion had surgery in February after struggling with his knee during the Australian Open in January, where he was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

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But, after recovering from the operation and beginning his rehab process, Federer revealed he has suffered a second setback that has required him to go under the knife again.

Communicating to his 12 million followers on Twitter, Federer posted a statement laying out his predicament as he ruled himself out of the rest of the 2020 season.

"Dear Fans. I hope you are staying safe and healthy," he began.

"A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee.

"Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100% ready to play at my highest level.

"I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.

"All the best, Roger."

With tennis still shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic it is unclear how many tournaments Federer will actually miss, but he hopes to be able to make as successful a recovery as he did back in 2017 when he recovered from a long layoff following a torn meniscus the previous year.

On that occasion, he bounced back in fine style to win the Australian Open, then the Wimbledon title.

But now, with Federer set to be 39 years old when he eventually returns to the court, it remains to be seen if he is able to rediscover his form as swiftly as he did three years ago.