Roger Federer has officially withdrawn from Roland Garros 2021, a day before he was to play Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round. The Swiss has cited the need to take care of his body as the reason for his withdrawal.
“After discussions with my team, I’ve decided I will need to pull out of Roland Garros today,” the 39-year-old said.
“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 three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court.”
Saturday’s match against Koepfer was a lengthy encounter that finished at 00:43 local time and Federer occasionally looked uncomfortable, lacking fluency in a 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 victory.
He had already suggested straight after the match that a withdrawal could be on the cards if he felt there would be too much risk to his knee.
Tournament director Guy Forget said: “The French Open is sorry to see Roger Federer withdraw from the tournament but he put up a great fight last night.
“We were all delighted to see him back in Paris, where he played three top-level matches. We wish him all the best for the rest of the season.”
Seven-times Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander paid tribute to Federer for his performance against Koepfer.
“I feel good that I saw Roger was in good enough shape to play like that,” Eurosport pundit Wilander said. “You have a lot of people say they should retire when they get a little bit old if they cannot win a Slam.
