Roger Federer withdrew from the 2016 French Open. (Getty)
Former world’s No. 1 Roger Federer withdrew from the 2016 French Open on Thursday, three days before the start of tennis’ second Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Federer, who has appeared in 65 straight majors, said he is “still not 100%” when making the announcement.
The future Hall of Famer had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this year and has been dealing with a back injury.
He returned to the court two months after his surgery, but the back issue has been lingering.
Federer made announcement on his official Facebook page:
I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open. I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100% and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready. This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career. I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season. I am sorry for my fans in Paris but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.
Federer has won 17 major titles, including the 2009 French Open.
He is currently ranked third in the world and would have been the No. 3 seed in Paris.
It is unknown how much time Federer will take off from the ATP schedule.
Check out the highlights below from Federer’s only title at Roland Garros:
