Former world number one Andy Murray backs Roger Federer’s decision to withdraw from French Open following his health complications.
Roger Federer made a “sensible decision” to withdraw and opt to focus his efforts on Wimbledon, said Andy Murray adding, “It would have been risky of Federer to continue playing at Roland Garros.”
“In tennis you don’t have that luxury of just playing a set in first match then 2 sets the next etc and building up that way.
“I’d argue that it’s quite risky to play multiple 4hr matches in a row in your 2nd tournaments back in 18 months so to me it makes sense to be reactive based on how your body feels, length of matches etc (sic).”
On Sunday, Roger Federer said he is preferring to focus on his primary goal of earning a ninth Wimbledon title.
Taking to his Twitter, the tennis player said, “After discussions with my team, I’ve decided I will need to pull out of Roland Garros 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,” he added.
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 6, 2021
Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion has struggled for three and a half hours till 12:45 Sunday morning to beat 59th-ranked Dominik Koepfer 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.
However, after undergoing two knee surgeries in 2020, the Swiss star revealed he was unsure if he’d make it.
The world’s highest-paid athlete is only playing his third tournament since the Australian Open last year. The 39-year-old has always stated that Wimbledon is his primary goal.
