ROGER FEDERER ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL FROM 2017 FRENCH OPEN TENNIS

Written by: Staff on 15th May 2017

ROGER FEDERER ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL FROM 2017 FRENCH OPEN TENNIS

epa05902053 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer in action during the Tennis exhibition 'Match for Africa 3' in the Hallenstadion Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland,10 April 2017. Federer and Murray play a charity event for the 'Roger Federer Foundation' tha raises money for African children. EPA/ENNIO LEANZA |

Federer announces withdrawal from 2017 French Open

By Ricky Dimon

For a second consecutive year, there will be no Roger Federer at the French Open. Federer, who missed the 2016 festivities at Roland Garros due to a knee injury, officially pulled out of the season’s second Grand Slam on Monday.

This time around, there are no injury concerns. The 35-year-old Swiss simply wants additional rest while focusing on the grass and summer hard courts, instead of bothering with just a single clay-court event. Federer had already announced earlier in 2017 that he would skip all of the clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments but left open the possibility of playing the French Open.

That door shut out Tuesday.

The reigning Australian Open champion posted the following on Twitter: “Unfortunately, I won’t be playing @rolandgarros this year. I’ll miss my fans in France, but appreciate your support”.

He went into greater detail on his personal website.

Roger Federer of Switzerland in action against his compatriot Stan Wawrinka during their quarterfinal match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 02 June 2015. EPA/CAROLINE BLUMBERG

“Regrettably, I’ve decided not to participate in the French Open,” Federer wrote. “I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it’s best to skip the clay court season this year and prepare for the grass and hard court seasons.

“The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward. Thus, my team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season.

“I will miss the French fans, who have always been so supportive and I look forward to seeing them at Roland Garros next year.”

Federer is 65-16 lifetime on the red clay of Paris with a title in 2009. He has not played the event since 2015, when he lost to eventual champion and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals.