Roger Federer withdraws from Roland-Garros

The greatest men’s player ever has withdrawn from the tournament. 

On Sunday morning, Roger Federer announced his withdrawal from the Roland-Garros Tournament, citing multiple knee surgeries in the past year. He made the announcement via Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/70C8RYr69J

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 6, 2021

Federer, 39, is arguably the greatest player in the history of men’s singles. He has won the Australian Open six times, Wimbledon six times and the US Open five times. He won the French Open in 2009, his only championship at Roland-Garros.

Federer was scheduled to face Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round of the tournament. Berrettini will now advance to face the winner of Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 seed, and Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals.

The Roland-Garros tournament being played on clay made for a tough return to action for Federer. He played well in his three matches, but clearly his legs weren’t responding to treatment well enough for him to continue in the tournament.

Fans will now have to wait and see if Federer is able to play in Wimbledon, the next major on the schedule. That tournament is played on grass, which will play differently for Federer’s knees.

The Tournament responded to Federer’s withdrawal on Twitter as well on Sunday.

PRESS RELEASE#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dYgPxLvovR

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2021

This is the second high-profile withdrawal from the tournament. Naomi Osaka pulled out of the women’s tournament citing personal mental health issues; she had been at odds with tournament organizers over the required media availability.

Federer is one of the biggest draws for media in any major tournament. Rafa Nadal and Djokovic remain in the bracket.