Roger Federer has announced he will not be playing at Roland Garros this year as the 2009 champion has decided to focus on winning more titles on grass and on hard courts this year.
The Swiss great will skip the remaining claycourt swing of the season as he bids to add to his Wimbledon and US Open Grand Slam successes.
It’s the second year in a row that the 35-year-old will be absent on the Parisian clay – having missed last year’s tournament due to a back injury.
‘Dear Fans, Regrettably, I’ve decided not to participate in the French Open,’ he wrote in a statement via his website on Monday night.
‘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. Roger.’
The news will come as a blow to organisers of the tournament with Federer’s upturn in form an added selling point to this year’s spectacle.
The 35-year-old won his 18th major in January with victory at the Australian Open – to make him the oldest player to win a Grand Slam tournament since Ken Rosewall in 1974.
Federer, who beat Robin Soderling in straight sets to win the 2009 French Open, is a four-time runner-up on the clay in Paris too – having lost every time to Rafael Nadal.
By Luke Augustus