Roger Federer announces he will not play in the 2017 French Open to instead prepare for the grass court season

The 18-time Grand Slam champion will miss the tournament for the second year in a row

Federer has decided to skip the entire clay court season (Getty)

Roger Federer has announced that he will not participate in the French Open this year.

The 18-time grand slam champion beat old rival Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open earlier this season, but has said that he has decided to skip the entire clay court season in an attempt to "try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come".

Federer, 35, has been very selective over what tournaments he participates in since undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee in 2016.

“Regrettably, I've decided not to participate in the French Open,” Federer wrote on his official website.

“I've been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it's best to skip the clay court season this year and prepare for the grass and hard court seasons.

The 18-time Grand Slam winner also missed out on last year's French Open (Getty)

“The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward. Thus, my team and I concluded today that playing just one event on clay was not in the best interest of my tennis and physical preparation for the remainder of the season.

“I will miss the French fans, who have always been so supportive and I look forward to seeing them at Roland Garros next year.”

Federer won the French Open title in 2009 (Getty)

Federer is a former French Open champion, beating the Swede Robin Söderling in three-sets in the 2009 final.

He has finished as the runner-up on a further four occasions, losing each time to Nadal. Federer was also absent from last season’s French Open as well as the US Open. Prior to 2016, he had not missed a Grand Slam tournament in over 16-years.

Nadal is odds-on favourite to win at Roland-Garros this season, which would be his tenth triumph in Paris.