World No 3, Roger Federer, confirmed his withdrawal from the French Open on Thursday.
The 34-year-old took to social media to announce his first absence due to injury from a major grand slam tournament since 1999.
“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” said Federer.
“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100 percent and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready.”
“I am sorry for my fans in Paris, but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.”
The latest development will come as a shock to the 17-time grand slam champion’s fans.
The aftermath of the Federer’s withdrawal, will see nine-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, move up from No 5 to No 4 in the ATP rankings.
Nadal will avoid a possible quarter-final rematch against top-ranked, Novak Djokovic, who is eyeing his first French Open title.
The draws for the tournament takes place on Friday, while the event proper starts on Sunday in Paris.
