Roger Federer withdrew before the round of 16 at Roland Garros on Sunday afternoon, the day after his late victory against Dominik Koepfer.
"Isn't it too risky to continue shooting (on the knee), isn't it the right time to rest?", He wondered at a press conference.
Roger Federer, who is trying to return to the highest level after a double right knee operation in 2020, announced on Sunday that he was giving up playing his round of 16 at Roland Garros scheduled for Monday against Matteo Berrettini, according to the organizers.
The decision was anticipated after the player's statements on the night from Saturday to Sunday, at the end of his difficult match against Dominik Köpfer.
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- Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 6, 2021
"Important that I listen to my body"
"After discussing with my team, I decided that I had to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament today (Sunday, editor's note). After two knee operations and more than a year of rehabilitation, it is important that I listen to my body and don't go too fast in the return to competition. I am delighted to have won three games. There is no better feeling than to be back on the field. " , said the Swiss, quoted by the organizers.
Roger Federer had said before the tournament that he had come not to win but to gauge himself before Wimbledon and to know physically where he was.
"Only he can know physically where he is. We know that clay is more demanding than grass," recalls Cédric Pioline, the tennis consultant of Europe 1. The marathon match on Saturday night seems to have proved that he was not able to chain matches at high intensity.
It remains to be seen whether we will ever see Federer Porte d'Auteuil again.
"Maybe it was his last edition. Each year that passes brings him closer to the end," said Cédric Pioline.
Everything will now depend on his physical evolution in the coming weeks and me.