Page 17 - ARUBA TODAY

A17
SPORTS Tuesday 16 May 2017

Federer to

skip French

Open, focus

on grass,

hard courts

HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer
After spending a few days
practicing on clay courts in
Switzerland, a healthy and
well-rested Roger Federer
settled on his upcoming
schedule: He will bypass
the French Open and turn
his focus to Wimbledon,
then the U.S. Open.
“It was a tough decision
to take, because he likes
to play the French Open,
likes to play the big tourna-
ments,” Severin Luthi, who
coaches Federer, said in a
telephone interview with
The Associated Press on
Monday. “But I think it was
the best decision for him. KAWHI-TE
It’s an investment in his ca-
reer — for this season and
for the coming seasons.”
Federer posted a mes-
sage entitled “Roger to
skip Roland Garros” on his A MESS
website on Monday, an-
nouncing that he will stay
away from competing on
clay entirely in 2017 and
instead will prepare for
the grass- and hard-court Spurs’ Leonard ruled out for
events that follow. Game 2
“I’ve been working re-
ally hard, both on and off
the court, during the last San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, center left,
month,” Federer wrote, gestures next to center Pau Gasol during the second
“but in order to try and half of Game 1 of the NBA basketball Western Confer-
play on the ATP World Tour ence finals against the Golden State Warriors in Oak-
for many years to come, I land, Calif., Sunday, May 14, 2017. The Warriors won
113-111.
feel it’s best to skip the clay Associated Press
court season this year.” PAGE 21
It’s the second year in a
row that Federer pulled out
of the French Open, where
main-draw play begins in
Paris on May 28. He won
the title at the clay-court
major in 2009 to complete
a career Grand Slam.
Continued on Page 22