Tennis: Roger Federer to miss 2016 Olympic Games

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer will not be able to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and will be out of action for the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury. Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, said he needs to undergo "extensive rehabilitation" in order to extend his already fabulous career. The 34-year-old former number one had knee surgery in February and then missed the French Open in May due to a back problem. Federer expressed his disappointment at not being able to represent Switzerland at the Olympics. "I am as motivated as ever and plan to put all my energy towards coming back strong, healthy and in shape to play attacking tennis in 2017," he said. The Swiss great has won a gold medal in Beijing in 2008 as he won the doubles tournament, but never managed to win the singles tournament at the Olympic Games. At London 2012 he had reached the final but was defeated by Andy Murray. Federer played the Wimbledon final earlier this month but lost against Milos Raonic at the end of a match in which he had requested on-court treatment twice. "This experience has made me realise how lucky I have been throughout my career with very few injuries," he said. "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." Without Federer, here are the odds for the top favourites to win the Olympic tennis gold according to Bet Victor: Novak Djokovic - 4/6 Andy Murray - 11/4 Stan Wawrinka - 12/1 Rafael Nadal - 14/1 Kei Nishikori - 25/1