Right before he was set to faceoff against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Roger Federer was forced to withdraw from the Italian Open due to a leg injury.
Federer had already won two matches on Thursday after play had been backed up due to rain. But his right leg began to be a problem…
“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete today,” he said. “I am not 100 percent physically, and, after consultation with my team, it was determined that I not play.”
This is only the fourth time in Federer’s career where he has a walkover loss. Throughout 1,465 matches in his career, Federer has never made any indication that he plans to retire.
Although he was originally not supposed to play in Rome, Federer changed his schedule last week citing he would rather play matches than practice ahead of the French Open. Hopefully, with some rest, the tennis star will be back in action come time to play in Paris.