19 May,2016 10:12 PM IST | | mid-day Correspondent
An ailing World No. 3 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the French Open at Roland Garros after being unable to recover from his back injury
An ailing World No. 3 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the French Open at Roland Garros after being unable to recover from his back injury.
The 34-year-old Swiss delivered the news on his official Facebook page, bringing to an end the 17-time major winner's run of 65 consecutive Grand Slams.
It would also be the first time in this century that the Swiss ace will miss a Grand Slam.
Roger Federer
Federer - a one-time winner of the French and a 17-time slam champion overall - has played in just four tournaments in 2016. He didn't play in the Madrid Open earlier this month after hurting his back during practice for the tournament.
Federer returned for the Italian Open but was beaten in the third round by Dominic Thiem.
"I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year's French Open," the 2009 Roland Garros champion wrote on his Facebook page.
"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."
The 34-year-old last missed a Grand Slam event in 1999 when he skipped the US Open.
The Swiss has been plagued by knee and back injuries this year, having earlier undergone a knee surgery after January's Australian Open.
The former world number one returned for the Monte Carlo Masters in April and reached the quarter-finals, where he was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
