Roger Federer to miss French Open 2017 - here's why!

Roger Federer has pulled out of this month's French Open as he feels he needs to avoid playing on clay this season in order to prolong his career. The Swiss, who defied logic to lift his 18th grand slam title at the Australian Open in January after being out of tennis for six months, will be absent from the clay-court major, which starts on May 28, for the second year running after missing last year's edition through injury. 

He wrote on his website: 

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 recognize 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.

Roger