Roger Federer pulls out of French Open, Rafael Nadal to get top 4 seeding

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With this announcement, Roger Federer’s record streak of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances comes to an end.

17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has ended days of speculation and conflicting reports by announcing that he has pulled out of the 2016 French Open. Posting on his Facebook page, Federer said that he hasn’t recovered fully from his back injury and that playing in Paris would have been an ‘unnecessary risk’. This announcement also means that Federer’s record streak of 65 consecutive Grand Slam appearances has come to an abrupt halt.

The Swiss has played only four tournaments this year, having undergone surgery for repairing a torn meniscus in his knee after the Australian Open. The month-long recovery period meant that he had to withdraw from Dubai and Indian Wells, before arriving in Miami to compete in the second Masters 1000 tournament of the year. His comeback was halted even before it began though, as he had to pull out of the Miami Masters due to a viral infection.

Federer’s original 2016 schedule didn’t have any claycourt tournaments before the French Open, but his injury-induced hiatus in February and March prompted him to accept a wildcard for the Monte Carlo Masters. Falling in the quarterfinals there to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the World No. 3 then entered the Madrid Masters – only to pull out again due to a bad back. His stay in Rome for the Italian Open didn’t last long either, as he hobbled his way out of the tournament in the third round, losing to Dominic Thiem.

Federer had said in Rome that he expected to be fit in time for Roland Garros, but various reports in the lead-up to the tournament suggested that he was likely to pull out of the second Slam of the year. Now confirming the reports, Federer has said that although he has been making steady progress, he isn’t 100% ready for match play yet.

In what will come as heartening news for his fans though, Federer reaffirmed that he plans to play the French Open in 2017, and that he’s keen on making the most out of the upcoming grass and hardcourt tournaments. Retirement may still be some time away for the player widely regarded as the greatest of all time.

The Swiss’ streak of 65 concecutive Slam appearances is one of the most impressive records on his CV, indicating his remarkable conditioning and impeccable scheduling. He has actually never missed a Major due to injury; the last time he didn’t play one – the 1999 US Open – it was because he didn’t qualify for the main draw. Since the 2000 Australian Open, he has qualified for and competed in every single Grand Slam – that’s more than 15 years of non-stop play.

Federer’s decision will also have a profound effect on how the rest of the tournament shapes up. With Rafael Nadal currently outside the top 4 in the ATP rankings, there was a possibility that the nine-time French Open champion could have faced World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Now, however, Nadal will be bumped up to No. 4 in the seedings, which means the earliest he can meet Djokovic is the semifinal.