Roger Federer will miss French Open because of back injury

Roger Federer has announced he will not be playing at the French Open as a result of a back injury.

The 34-year-old Swiss delivered the news on his official Facebook page, bringing to an end a remarkable run of 65 successive Grand Slam appearances.

Federer – a one-time winner of the French and a 17-time slam champion overall – has played in just four tournaments in 2016.

“I regret to announce that I have made the decision not to play in this year’s French Open,” he wrote.

“I have been making steady progress with my overall fitness, but I am still not 100 per cent and feel I might be taking an unnecessary risk by playing in this event before I am really ready.

“This decision was not easy to make, but I took it to ensure I could play the remainder of the season and help to extend the rest of my career.”

The French Open starts in Paris on Sunday.

With Federer’s advancing years, speculation has started as to when he will call time on his career.

But he seemingly has no plans to go anywhere yet, adding: “I remain as motivated and excited as ever and my plan is to achieve the highest level of fitness before returning to the ATP World Tour for the upcoming grass court season. I am sorry for my fans in Paris but I very much look forward to returning to Roland Garros in 2017.”