Swiss Tennis Champion Roger Federer said Wednesday he would be ruled out until 2021 after undergoing his second knee surgery in few months.

Roger Federer said he needed follow-up arthroscopic surgery “a few weeks ago” after undergoing a similar keyhole procedure in February.

Federer, whose last Grand Slam win was the 2018 Australian Open, said he “experienced a setback during (his) initial rehabilitation”.

“I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

“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.”

The announcement seems to appear as Federer’s retirement, who was named as the world’s highest-paid athlete.

Roger Federer lies just ahead of his fierce rivals Rafael Nadal (19) and Novak Djokovic (17) on the all-time list.

After the initial operation Federer had originally planned to return for the now cancelled grass court season this month. His last tournament match was on January 30 in the Australian Open semi-final, where he lost to eventual champion Djokovic.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II.

He has got off lightly with injuries during a career in which he has won 103 singles titles, including all four majors.