Roger Federer announces he will miss the French Open

Jason O’Brien/Reuters

Roger Federer announced on Thursday that he will not play in this year’s French Open, which begins this weekend. The news marks the first time since 1999 that the former world no. 1 and 17-time Grand Slam winner has missed a Grand Slam singles draw.

“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” Federer 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.”

Federer, 34, has struggled with several injuries this season. He reached the Australian Open semifinal, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, but afterwards underwent knee surgery.

His back has been the more pressing problem of late, causing him to pull out of the Madrid Masters. This led to questions about his fitness for the French.

Earlier this month he lost to 15th-ranked Dominic Thiem in the third round of the Italian Open, where he said he was still hoping to be ready for Roland Garros.

On Facebook on Thursday, Federer said he was excited to return to Paris for the French Open in 2017.

Here’s his full announcement, which you can also read on Facebook:

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.