Roger Federer Withdraws From French Open Because Of Injury

Roger Federer withdrew from the 2016 French Open on Thursday, citing health reasons.

Roger Federer Withdraws From French Open Because Of Injury

This is the first time the 34-year-old tennis star misses a Grand Slam event since August 1999, when he lost in the second round of the qualifying tournament at the United States Open to fellow Swiss Ivo Heuberger.

Since then, Federer has played in a record 65 straight Grand Slam singles tournaments and won a record 17 titles.

“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100 percent and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready,” the World No. 3 announced on his Facebook page Thursday. “The decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career. I remain as motivated and excited as ever.”

Federer did not name a specific injury in his withdrawal statement. He also added that he planned to return to Roland Garros next year. He withdrew from the Madrid Masters earlier this month with a back injury before losing in the third round of the Rome Masters. The Swiss also withdrew from the Miami Open in March due to a stomach virus, and missed the Rotterdam Open, the Dubai Championships and the Indian Wells Masters due to a knee injury.

“This is sad, but it’s also smart,” Paul Annacone, Federer’s former coach, said of the decision to withdraw. “It’s going to be a really busy next few months.”

This season, Federer has played in only four tournaments and won 11 of 15 matches. He had surgery on his left knee on Feb. 3– the first operation of his career– after tearing the meniscus while running a bath for his twin daughters shortly after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Federer won the French Open in 2009. Last year, he fell in the quarterfinals to eventual champion, fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.

Last week, Federer lost to Austrian 22-year-old Dominic Thiem in the third round in the Italian Open in Rome and appeared to be hampered in his movement.

His withdrawal from Roland Garros now means that nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will move up to the No. 4 seed. This means the Spaniard will avoid facing Djokovic, Wawrinka and Andy Murray until the semifinals.

While his rivals focus on clay, Federer will shift his attention to grass and the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil, where he will seek to win his first gold medal in singles.