Federer has knee surgery, will skip 2 tournaments

Roger Federer of Switzerland answers questions at a press conference following his semifinal loss to to Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. AP

BASEL, Switzerland—Roger Federer has had knee surgery and will miss tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai this month.

“Roger Federer underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery today in Switzerland to repair a torn meniscus,” a statement on his official website said Wednesday.

It is a rare injury setback for the 34-year-old Federer, who has had relatively minor back problems in 2008 and 2013.

The statement did not specify which knee is injured, though it said it happened last Friday, one day after his Australian Open semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic.

“My doctors have (assured) me that the surgery was a success and with proper rehabilitation, I will be able to return to the Tour soon,” Federer said in the statement.

His next scheduled tournament is in Indian Wells, California, starting March 7.

“I apologize to my friends in Rotterdam and Dubai, as I was very much looking forward to playing those events,” Federer said in a statement on his Facebook page.

The organizer of the Rotterdam tournament, former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, said he got the news on Tuesday.

“Obviously, receiving this information yesterday evening is a major setback for us, as it is for the fans looking forward to his presence,” Krajicek said. “We hope to have Roger back next year.”