Yesterday, Roger Federer decided to shade some light on a frivolous question. Therefore, he made a statement which included some of his plans and more importantly how what's left of his professional career will flow next. Having no intention to compete during the clay court swing, his decision to skip the 2017 French Open is a natural follow-up.
The reasons for this decision are clear as the Swiss won't jeopardize his health on the French clay. Having no warm-up event scheduled before the french open, it would've been hard to pull out some extraordinary outcome.
Moreover, his relation with clay has been nowhere near to a close one over the past years. So, with Roger Federer out of the picture for a while, it seems like a clear path for Rafael Nadal, the 30-year-old Spaniard who demolished competition lately.
Federer will skip the second French Open in a row
Back in 2016, Roger Federer was forced to withdrew from the French Open as he was struggling with injuries. Now, it's more like a self-preservation mechanism that the Swiss star is using. He has bigger goals for what's left of 2017 season, and that means he must entirely focus on the grass session first.
While the rest of the herd will end up being exhausted after a long run on clay, the Swiss will emerge fresh as a daisy setting things in motion for a prodigious run at Wimbledon.
If Federer keeps playing for a several more years, this might become his regular schedule with him skipping the entire clay swing.
The good news is that his significant absence won't have consequences regarding ranking status. Another French Open without Federer in the main draw will increase other's chances to win it. This season, Nadal seems entitled to hope for his 10th Roland Garros.
The Spaniard is yet to know the taste of defeat on clay this season. Three titles in a row on this surface put him far ahead on the list of potential winners.
French Open remains the hardest dungeon Federer had to conquer
Throughout his career, Roger Federer reached five times the last act of Roland Garros prevailing once back in 2009 and losing all other four finals to Rafael Nadal.
Amongst the Grand Slams, it was the hardest one to capture.
Federer's last appearance at the French Open occurred back in 2015 when he was defeated in the quarterfinals by the eventual winner Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss champ is most likely to be seen back on the ATP circuit once the action will shift to the grass. He is scheduled to play two warm-up events for Wimbledon. The first stop is confirmed for Stuttgart at Mercedes Cup.
