The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Federer misses French Open with future in mind
Swiss star will skip clay court season in bid to extend playing career
Eighteen-time grand slam champion Roger Federer has announced he will not participate in the French Open.
Federer beat rival Rafael Nadal to claim the Australian Open title in January but, at 35, has made the decision to skip the entire clay court season to remain at peak condition.
In an open letter addressed to his fans on rogerfederer.com, he explained his absence from Roland Garros was part of his bid to “try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come”.
Federer’s note read: “Regrettably, I’ve decided not to participate in the French Open.
“I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month 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 and prepare for the grass and hard court seasons.
“The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognise that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward.
“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.
“I will miss the French fans, who have always been so supportive and I look forward to seeing them at Roland Garros next year.”
The Swiss also missed last year’s French Open through injury, the first time he failed to make the trip to Paris since his debut in 1999.
He won the tournament for the only time in 2009 and is a four-time runnerup.
Yesterday’s action at the Italian Open saw Britons Kyle Edmund and Aljaz Bedene advance to the second round in Rome.
Edmund, making his debut at the event, saw off Portugal’s Joao Sousa 6-3 6-4 while qualifier Bedene was leading 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 3-0 when Italy’s Gianluca Mager retired with an injury.
Both players face stiff tests in their second round matches. Edmund will face Juan Martin Del Potro, who yesterday beat 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov 3-6 6-2 6-3, while world No 2 Novak Djokovic awaits Bedene.
Defending champion and world No 1 Andy Murray, who turned 30 yesterday, faces Italy’s Fabio Fognini in his opening match today.
Juan Monaco, the former world No 10, has retired from tennis at the age of 33.
Monaco won nine ATP World Tour titles and three on the doubles circuit, including a 2015 tournament in Doha alongside Rafael Nadal.
But, after losing his only three matches of 2017, he has opted to leave the professional game behind.
The Argentinian revealed his decision on his Facebook page and thanked his fans for playing their part in “this wonderful trip which lasted 14 years.”