By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, May 2, 2016
A back injury has forced three-time former Madrid champion Roger Federer to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open.
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open
A highly-anticipated Roger-Rafa reunion will have to wait.
Three-time former Madrid champion Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Mutua Madrid Open due to a back injury.
Watch: Federer's Madrid Practice
The third-ranked Swiss said he hurt his back "a little bit" during his Saturday practice. Federer said the back issue prevented him from practicing yesterday and today, which prompted his withdrawal this morning.
"Number one, sorry to the tournament for coming and leaving without playing. I arrived and I was okay, and then I practiced on Saturday and hurt my back a little bit in practice and then stopped early," Federer told the media in Madrid. "Supposed to practice for two hours; had to stop after an hour 15. Then, well, I was scheduled to practice yesterday and today but just don't feel like I can practice."
Federer was in the same quarter of the Madrid draw as fifth-ranked Rafael Nadal. His departure denies the prospect of a Roger-Rafa quarterfinal clash of former champions.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion said he plans to rest and recover in time to return in Rome.
"At this point I don't want to take more chances as I know I'm not going to be fully ready for Wednesday," Federer said. "I would rather play it safe and rest up now and get ready for Rome. So that's the schedule here now. I'm very disappointed, to say the least. I was hoping to play. I changed my schedule around and practiced well in Switzerland before coming here. This is not really what I wanted to do, come here and do a press conference about pulling out. It's been a tough year, so I hope it gets better from here."
Federer, who underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus after his Australian Open semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic, has pulled out of two of his last three scheduled tournaments.
In March, a stomach virus forced Federer to withdraw from the Miami Open shortly before his scheduled match against Juan Martin del Potro.
Conceding he's frustrated by the injury and illness issues, Federer said he does not believe the back injury will be a long-term problem.
"I mean, I am frustrated. I'm a little sad of course not to be playing here," Federer said. "At the same time, I'm still upbeat that the back issue is going to go away. I would rather have it being the back than the knee. So from that standpoint I see it as more positive than negative, to be honest. Of course in a nutshell it's not good that I'm not playing here. I still have time. The season is long. There are a lot of big highlights coming this season. I wish I could play here, but I just can't.
"I've got to to deal with it. I've pulled out on many occasions, but always with a reason. When you have a reason, people understand. Tournament directors understand; you guys hopefully understand; and then it goes away easier, to be honest."
In his first tournament since undergoing knee surgery, Federer moved with confidence reaching the Monte Carlo quarterfinals before bowing to ninth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-5, in the third set.
The 34-year-old Swiss, who has been remarkably injury-free throughout much of his career, underwent his first surgery this year. Federer said his goal is to be completely healthy and fit in time for the French Open later this month and if he's not ready for Paris "then at the latest Wimbledon."
Given the fact Federer has played in an Open Era record 65 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, it seems likely he will try to Roland Garros if fully fit.
"The goal has always been that I'm at a 100% when the French comes around. Hopefully, if not, then latest Wimbledon," Federer said. "That's always been the case ever since I stepped into the operation room, to be honest. This is not the knee, it's the back, so it's different. Clearly it's not a help. Nevertheless, I've been able to practice as much as I've wanted to. I came back on tour quicker than I thought I would.
"So in terms of schedule, I guess I still am still somewhat on par. Then only, how do you say, time will tell if I'll be fine at the French. I do believe I have chances there. The problem in the past has been more Rafa than the clay itself. If you take Rafa out of the equation I would've had an amazing clay court career. I still with him I've had a great clay court career."