Roger Federer pulls out of French Open to rest body after two knee surgeries
Roger Federer doesn't want to push his body too far. Federer pulled out of the 2021 French Open on Sunday, citing the need to rest and rehab following two knee surgeries.
Federer, 39, made the announcement on Twitter, saying, "It's important that I listen to my body and make sure I don't push myself too quickly."
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 6, 2021
Federer, ranked No. 8, was set to take on No. 9 Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round of the tournament. Berrettini will now advance to the quarterfinals on a walkover. He'll take on the winner of Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti.
Roger Federer underwent two knee surgeries in 2020
Federer underwent his first knee injury after the 2020 Australian Open, which ended in early February. He intended to return to action at Wimbledon in June, but the COVID-19 pandemic and knee complications prevented that.
Federer said he experienced swelling his surgically repaired knee. He needed a second surgery to correct the issue. Federer said recovery from his second surgery was difficult because it felt like he was starting over, according to the Washington Post.
“I started from scratch,” Federer explained, “so it was right from the bottom up. I had to work my way back to a tournament.”
In three matches at the 2021 French Open, Federer looked dominant. He dropped just two sets over those matches, setting up a match against Berrettini in the fourth round.
Following his win over Dominik Koepfer in the third round, Federer admitted he might have to pull out of the event. The match between Federer and Koepfer lasted three-and-a-half hours. Federer said he would re-evaluate his body the following day to determine whether it was too risky to proceed.
On Sunday, he made the call that it was best to sit out the rest of the event.
More from Yahoo Sports:
