Roger Federer withdraws from 2017 French Open

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the French Open and will skip the clay court season to focus on the grass and hardcourts.

Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from the 2017 French Open, according to a post on his website.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion and winner of the last major said he is skipping the clay court season in order to prepare for the grass and hardcourt 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," he said. "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."

Federer on French Open withdrawal pic.twitter.com/ckpWqGn6Du

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) May 15, 2017

Federer is a seven-time champion at Wimbledon, which begins July 3.