Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open having gotten the competition and assurance he needed to be ready for Wimbledon.
When Roger Federer returned to the ATP Tour in Doha in March, having been out for 13 months following two knee operations, he made one thing clear: His goal was Wimbledon. At 39, the Swiss is focused on the place where he has the best chance for glory: the grass at Wimbledon, where short points and his unrivaled experience mean a ninth title is not out of the question. So when Federer announced on Sunday he withdrew from Roland-Garros — after first opening the door to that possibility in his news conference following his third-round win over Dominik Koepfer — it was no real surprise. « After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation, it’s important that I listen to my body and make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery, » Federer said in a statement. « I am thrilled to have gotten 3 matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court. » For Roland-Garros, Federer’s withdrawal is an undeniable blow. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is the ultimate draw, the man everyone wants to see. But because of his age, Federer has to be selfish at this stage of his career. If he’s going to have a chance at Wimbledon, he needs to be 100%. No man over the age of 35 has won Wimbledon — Federer was 35 when he became its oldest champion in 2017, so the enormity of his task is obvious. Coming off two arthroscopic right knee surgeries, what Federer wanted out of Roland-Garros was matches, the chance to hone his competitive skills against some of the world’s top players at the highest level. And he got that, with wins over Denis Istomin, Marin Cilic, and finally Koepfer on Saturday night, proving to himself his skills were still there.
