Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has announced he will sit out the upcoming French Open and the rest of the clay-court season in order to prepare to play on grass and hard courts later in the year.
It marks the second year in a row that Federer, who made the announcement on his website, has pulled out of the French Open, where main-draw play begins in Paris on May 28.
Federer posted a message entitled “Roger to skip Roland Garros” on his website on Monday, announcing that he will stay away from competing on clay entirely in 2017 and instead will prepare for the grass- and hard-court events that follow.
“I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month,” Federer wrote, “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.”
Federer, who last won the clay-court title in 2009, is currently 4th on the ATP Rankings.
The record 18 grand slam winner missed six months in 2016 due to a knee injury but has rebounded to win three titles so far this season, including the Australian Open – his first Grand Slam success in five years.
He also claimed the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March and, two weeks later, won the Miami Open.
The 35-year-old Federer has not played in a tournament since April 2, and is 19-1 this year all on hard courts, his best start in more than a decade.