After spending a few days practicing on clay courts in Switzerland, a healthy and well-rested Roger Federer settled on his upcoming schedule: He will bypass the French Open and turn his focus to Wimbledon, then the US Open.
"It was a tough decision to take, because he likes to play the French Open, likes to play the big tournaments," Severin luthi, who coaches Federer, said on Monday. "But I think it was the best decision for him. It's an investment in his career — for this season and for the coming seasons."
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."
It's the second year in a row that Federer pulled out of the French Open, where main-draw play begins in Paris on May 28. "We are in a good situation. He is (healthier than he is) been in the last five years. We could take the decision out of a position of strength," luthi said about pulling out of the French Open. "We talked a few times about it but wanted to give ourselves time to think about it."
luthi said Federer plans to play at two grass-court tournaments in Germany — at Stuttgard starting June 12, and at Halle the week after that — before heading to Wimbledon, where play begins on July 3.
"The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward," Federer wrote. "Thus, my team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season."