Roger Federer pulled out of the French Open, less than 12 hours after a difficult third-round victory.
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Legendary tennis player Roger Federer has announced his decision to pull out of the ongoing edition of the French Open, having reached the fourth round. Federer revealed the same on Twitter, stating that he finalised the move following a discussion with his team. The Swiss superstar highlighted his two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation, as an important parameter behind the decision. Federer stated that he was thrilled having played three matches in the French Open.
“After discussions with my team, I’ve decided I will need to pull out of the French Open today. 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. I am thrilled to have gotten 3 matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court. See everyone soon,” read his message on Twitter.
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 6, 2021
Federer was pushed to the core in his third round match against German Dominik Koepfer.
“My fighting spirit got me over the line. You’ve got to love what you do, and I do,” he said as quoted by Roland Garros’ official website.
The Swiss legend further discussed the complete silence which he encountered after walking down to the court, due to the 9 pm curfew that has been enforced due to COVID-19.
“It benefits the players like myself or other players that are very focused when they go practice nowadays,” said Federer, when asked what it was like to play with no fans.
“I probably would have struggled a great deal when I was a teenager or a young player, because for me, practice was not really what I loved doing at all. I actually really disliked it, and for me it was all about the matches and atmosphere and playing for something,” he added.
Federer said the win over Koepfer was “very important” for him.
“I clearly hadn’t practiced three hours 35, because that’s obviously always pushing it. I pushed as much as I could, as we thought reasonable. But this today was a huge step forward for the team, and for all of us. I didn’t expect to be able to win three matches here,” he concluded.
