‘It’s horrible’ – Andy Roddick sends Roger Federer message as career hangs in the balance

Roger Federer to miss US Open and undergo knee surgery

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Andy Roddick has issued a message of support to Roger Federer in the wake of the news that the Swiss tennis legend will miss the US Open and to have more surgery on his right knee. Federer turned 40 recently and serious questions have been raised about his ability to remain competitive after a slew of injuries.

Federer has barely played this season after missing the majority of 2020 with troubles to the same knee.

He underwent surgery twice last year in a bid to return to his majestic former self but hasn’t been able to regain his old form.

Roddick is clearly upset about Federer’s bad luck with injuries and spoke about how the 40-year-old hadn’t looked right so far this year, before making it clear that Federer should be allowed to leave the game how he wishes.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, the 2003 US Open Champion said: “He’s aware of what he was, coming back from these previous two knee surgeries. 

“He wasn’t moving as well. He was maybe a shadow of what we know as Roger, he wasn’t holding serve as much.

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“Obviously he knows it’s an uphill battle. I personally hope that he gets to come out and at least leave on his own terms.

“I don’t care if he’s as good as he once was. That’s unimportant to me at this point. 

“What’s important is that he gets the goodbye that he wants. If he wants to say goodbye to the fans in person at a tournament, he should be able to do that.”

Federer’s injury problems started after the Australian Open in early 2020 where he reached the semi-finals. He last played at this year’s Wimbledon, where he became the oldest player to reach a quarter-final in the Open era before crashing out in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz.

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Roddick added that Federer deserves to figure out his own plan, but conceded that it wasn’t necessarily surprising to see his body struggle to keep up with the rigours of professional tennis given his advancing years.

He said: “If he doesn’t wanna be a ceremonial player or play as someone who’s less than what we expect, then he should be able to do that.

“We need patience.

“It’s horrible to see the icons of the game go out because their bodies give out but let’s also face it, the guy’s gotten to 40, and his body’s been amazing to this point in time.”

Federer is not the only big name to potentially miss the US Open at the end of the month.

Rafael Nadal withdrew from both traditional warm-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati, leaving his fans to fear he too may be unable to compete at Flushing Meadows.

The tournament gets underway on August 30.

Novak Djokovic will be hoping to complete a single-season Grand Slam and surpass Federer and Nadal’s tally of 20 Grand Slam titles.

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