BASEL (Switzerland) • Seventeen-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer underwent "successful" surgery on his knee yesterday and will be ruled out of action for one month, his agent said.

The Swiss underwent the surgery to repair a torn meniscus, which he suffered the day after his semi-final at the Australian Open and away from a tennis court, according to Tony Godsick.

As a result of the surgery, he will now miss the Association of Tennis Professionals tournaments in Rotterdam and Dubai this month.

"I am so disappointed to have to miss Rotterdam and Dubai as they are two of my favourite tournaments on the ATP World Tour," said Federer, a two-time winner at Rotterdam and a seven-time Dubai champion.

"While this is an unfortunate setback, I feel grateful that up until now, I have remained mostly healthy throughout my career.

"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."

The 34-year-old suffered a four-set defeat by eventual winner Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Unlike his great rival Rafael Nadal, Federer has enjoyed a relatively injury-free career, the exception being bouts of recurring back pain.

The last time that happened was at the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals in London, when he withdrew at the last minute from the final against Djokovic.

The following week, however, he returned to action and helped Switzerland win the Davis Cup for the first time.

Federer will now aim to be fit in time for the first two Masters Series tournaments of the year at Indian Wells and Miami in March.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE