Roger Federer to miss Indian Wells

Roger Federer will miss Indian Wells next month as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, but hopes to feature at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

The world number three, a four-time champion at Indian Wells, went under the knife earlier this month after sustaining a knee injury the day after his Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic.

Federer, 34, missed the Rotterdam Open and the ongoing Dubai Tennis Championship and confirmed on Friday that, while his recovery is going "really well", he will not be ready to play at the ATP 1000 event in California, which begins on March 10.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook profile, Federer said: "The Rehab for my knee is going really well! I have now had a lot of great practices on the court and in the gym. As it is a long year, I don't want to push it too hard and come back too soon.

"Thus, I will unfortunately not be able to make it back in time for the great event in Indian Wells but I do plan on playing in the desert next year.

"After consultation with my team, I have decided to enter the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Thanks for the support and I will see you back on tour soon."