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Roger Federer withdraws from 2nd consecutive French Open

By Sumit Nagar

Apr 2, 2017; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Roger Federer of Switzerland gestures after winning a point against Rafael Nadal of Spain (not pictured) in the men's singles championship of the 2017 Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Federer won 6-3, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Key Biscayne, FL, USA; Roger Federer of Switzerland gestures after winning a point against Rafael Nadal of Spain (not pictured) in the men's singles championship of the 2017 Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center. Federer won 6-3, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Roger Federer has announced that he will not be competing for the clay season. He is now missing the French Open for the second year in a row.

Roger Federer began his 2017 campaign with an astonishing 19-1 record.

The Swiss tennis star has seemingly found the fountain of youth. However, considering the fact that he is missing the entire clay season in order to continue his longevity, it causes someone to come back to reality and notice that Federer is 35 years of age and nearing retirement.

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The fact that Federer needs to take any time off from the game due to a non-injury related reason is worrisome. It shows that his body may not be able to handle a full year’s of play.

Federer had a six-month hiatus in 2016 in which he missed, not only the French Open, but also the Olympic Games in Rio and the U.S. Open as well, because of a knee injury. As a result, fans should not expect him to place his body at unnecessary risk for the remainder of his time on tour.

Federer is trying to extend his career as far as he can.

Due to this, it isn’t a far-fetched assumption to say that he will continue missing parts of the season next year, the year after, and so on.

On the other hand, Federer now has an opportunity to focus on Wimbledon and the US Open since he’s had limited success on clay. He has only won the French Open once in his entire career.

With Roger Federer gone, Roland Garros is up for grabs.

Rafael Nadal could reclaim his spot as the king of clay. Novak Djokovic has an opportunity to repeat by winning the tournament a second year in a row. There is even a large likelihood for a newcomer to swoop in and win it all.

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