Federer's Absence Does Not Impact French Open, Only His Fans, Forget Says

Roger Federer made the controversial decision to skip the entire clay court season for the second consecutive year and while in 2017 he was returning from a long-term injury, this year it was purely to take a break and focus on the grass and hard court events — which he prefers over clay — later in the year.

The Swiss ace has played a limited schedule since his return from injury at the start of the 2017 season, but his decision to skip the major clay court tournaments again this year did not go down too well with former players and the tournament directors.

Federer was criticized for his decision, but he was clear he needed a breather after his losses at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters Series events. In skipping the clay court season, he will also miss the second Grand Slam of the season at Roland Garros for the third straight year.

Guy Forget, the French Open tournament director, does not feel Federer’s absence affects the event in any way. He agrees even though talk of a potential Federer-Rafael Nadal final does create a buzz among the media, his no show in Paris does not affect the attendance.

Moreover, the financial side of the event — which is most important — is also covered, according to Forget. The former world number four also suggested the only impact Federer’s absence was having was on his own fans, who will be disappointed they cannot see him at one of the most historic tournaments of the season.

“On a media level, obviously, a Nadal-Federer final would still create a buzz in Paris,” Forget said, as quoted by the Express. “But grounds are packed. The product works without Federer. ... On an audience level, his absence hasn't changed anything. From a financial point of view, you sign long-time contracts, including TV rights.”

“So I want to say that Federer's absence hasn't impacted the French Open. The only real impact is on his fans and the disappointment that his withdrawal brings out.”

Nadal, the world number one, is the top seed at the tournament and he will have to defend his title at Roland Garros in order to stay ahead of Federer, currently number two in the world. The Spaniard will begin his campaign against Alexandr Dolgopolov on Sunday, and there is a possibility he could meet Novak Djokovic in the final, with the Serb drawn in the bottom-half of the draw.

Federer, meanwhile, will end his two and a half month break from tennis and return to action when the grass court season begins at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart on June 11.