STARNBERG, May 15, 2017

Roger Federer announced Monday that he will miss the French Open, deciding to skip the entire clay season this year to focus on grass, hard courts.

The 35-year-old, who captured the title of the Australian Open earlier this season, stated on his official homepage:

“Regrettably, I’ve decided not to participate in the French Open. 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.”

Unfortunately, I won’t be playing @rolandgarros this year. I’ll miss my fans in France, but appreciate your support https://t.co/vRcb4SvQga

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) 15. Mai 2017

Federer also missed the French Open last year and will now return to the ATP World Tour in June, kicking off the grass court season at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart. The ATP 250 event starts June 12.