Seventeen-time Grand Slam singles champion Roger Federer has been forced to pull out of next month's French Open due to a back problem.
The 34-year-old took part in the Italian Open recently after seemingly recovering from the troublesome injury, but was beaten in the third round by Dominic Thiem.
Federer has now announced that he will miss out on a Grand Slam event for the first time this century, as he attempts to get back to full fitness for the remainder of the season.
"I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year's French Open," he said in a Facebook post. "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 competed in the last 65 tennis majors, but his absence means that Rafael Nadal will now be seeded fourth in Paris and could therefore no longer face Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray as early as the quarter-final stage.
Daniel Lewis
