Federer will sit out Rio, U.S. Open
Roger Federer is sitting out the rest of this season, including the Olympics and U.S. Open, to protect his surgically repaired left knee.
Federer wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday that he needs “more extensive rehabilitation following my knee surgery earlier this year.”
“The doctors advised that if I want to play on the ATP World Tour injury free for another few years, as I intend to do, I must give both my knee and body the proper time to fully recover,” Federer said.
Federer is the first member of tennis’ so-called “Big 4” — a group that also includes No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal and 2012 gold medalist Andy Murray — to pull out of the Rio Games, where that sport’s competition starts Aug. 6, a day after the opening ceremony.
Federer often has spoken about how much the Olympics mean to him, in part because he met his wife, Mirka, when both were athletes at the 2000 Sydney Games. Federer won a silver medal in singles for Switzerland four years ago in London, and he teamed up with Stan Wawrinka to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In Brazil, Federer was expected to play singles, doubles with Wawrinka, and mixed doubles with Martina Hingis.
More Russian bans
At least 105 athletes from the 387-strong Russian Olympic team announced last week have been barred from the Rio Games in connection with the country’s doping scandal.
International federations in canoeing, sailing and modern pentathlon ruled out eight Tuesday, including an Olympic gold medalist. Rowing added 19 more athletes to three that previously had been announced. Swimming also has barred some athletes. Some appeals are likely.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Putin had discussed the doping issue with his national security council.
The vast majority of the Russian athletes who miss out are in track and field, where 67 athletes were ruled out when a ban on the Russian team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.
Notebook
More are falling foul of new rules imposed in the wake of the country’s doping scandal.
While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the International Olympic Committee, it has lost several medal contenders to new IOC rules imposed Sunday banning Russia from entering athletes who previously doped.
Alexander Dyachenko, an Olympic champion in 2012, was among five canoeists ruled out after being named in a recent report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a statesponsored doping cover-up.
Elsewhere, two Indian competitors — wrestler Narsingh Yadav and shot put medal hope Inderjeet Singh — proclaimed their innocence after testing positive for banned steroids just days before they were to leave for Games.
Village problems
Two days after describing the housing at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as “dangerous,” Australian athletes and staff started moving into the massive athletes’ village compound .
Australia team spokesman Mike Tancred said up to 60 delegation members — evenly split between athletes and staff — were checking in. Australians declined to enter their rooms Sunday after flushed toilets and open taps caused water to gush down walls and ceilings in the building. They also complained of electrical shorts and gas leaks.
Rio organizers said Tuesday that 21 of 31 buildings were ready, occupied by 600 athletes and 1,800 staff from 120 countries. Organizers said all the buildings would be ready Thursday, barely a week before the Games open.