Roger Federer out of French Open due to injury, will miss Grand Slam for 1st time in 17yrs

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has been forced to withdraw from the French Open because of a back injury.

The withdrawal means that 17-time Grand Slam champion Federer will end his remarkable run of competing in 65 Grand Slams in a row – a record.  

Federer has competed in just four events so far this year, and said he was sorry to be missing the tournament at Roland-Garros, which gets underway on May 22.

The 34-year-old Swiss announced the news on his Facebook page:

“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” he wrote.

“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready.

“This 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.”

Federer added that he was “sorry for my fans in Paris” but looks forward to “returning to Roland Garros in 2017.”

The world number three recently played at the Italian Open, where he lost in the third round, but prior to that had missed the Madrid Open after injuring his back in practice.

Federer won the French Open in 2009 – his only victory in the tournament – with all his other Grand Slam titles coming at Wimbledon and the US and Australian Opens.