Roger Federer announced on Saturday that he will skip the clay court season for the second year in a row.
Federer lost in the Miami Open on Saturday to Thanasi Kokkinakis 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the second round of the tournament. The defeat was Federer’s second in a row, marking the first time since 2014 that he has lost consecutive matches. Losing to the 175th-ranked Kokkinankis will cost Federer the world No. 1 ranking.
After the match, Federer said he will duplicate his strategy from last year and skip the clay season, with hopes of producing the same results. In 2017, Federer won Wimbledon for the eighth time in his career.
At age 36, Federer is clearly focusing on giving himself the best chance to win targeted events and excel in his areas of strength.
This will mark the third year in a row that Federer skips the French Open. Federer is set to play in the Gerry Weber Open in Halle in June, which he won last year before going on to win Wimbledon.
