The french open (Roland Garros), the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, is on the schedule for next week. Here is a list of all the great players that won't be competing in this great tournament. Although, some of them are still questionable.
Men
Roger Federer made an announcement a few weeks ago that he won't play at the French Open. The main reason still remains unknown, but he is obviously preparing for the grass court season and Wimbledon, his favorite Grand Slam. Federer is aware that his chances in Paris are not so great, especially with Rafael Nadal playing at his best this season on the clay surface.
So, this decision might be the right one for Roger Federer. Even though he has had a tremendous start to the tennis campaign this season, he is older now, and must pick and choose his tournaments more carefully if he wants to prolong his career.
Yesterday, Juan Martin Del Potro lost his second round match of the ATP Lyon tournament against Gastao Elias. He said after the match that he still has some wrist and back problems, so it looks like he won't be able to play at the French Open.
Women
Maria Sharapova, a two-time French Open champion, suffered a leg injury last week in Rome, but that is not the main reason why she won't play at the French Open. The tournament director decided not to give Maria a wild card, so she wouldn't be able to play in this competition, even if she was healthy.
Serena Williams has been absent from the WTA Tour since winning the Australian Open and she will be out for the rest of the season. Serena announced a month ago that she is pregnant, so it's not a big surprise that we won't see the best female tennis player in Paris.
Victoria Azarenka, a French Open semifinalist in 2013, said that she will be ready for Wimbledon, but she'll skip the French Open.
Azarenka gave birth to her child last year and she is back to training now, but obviously not 100 percent prepared to compete at the highest level.
Simona Halep, a French Open finalist in 2014, had an ankle injury recently and she might miss this year's competition as well. She said that the chances are 50-50, but that seems like an optimistic opinion.
It is likely that we won't see Halep in the main draw of the 2017 French Open.
Petra Kvitova, a French Open semifinalist in 2012, has finally recovered from the arm injury, that she suffered a few months ago. Kvitova was attacked by a burglar that broke into her home and stabbed her in the arm. She is now ready to get back on the court, but has decided to skip the French Open. However, she will be ready for Wimbledon.
