Federer Out Of French Open - Amazing Streak Will End

The great Roger Federer has withdrawn from the upcoming French Open which is scheduled to start on Sunday.  This will end one of the most remarkable streaks in sports history - Federer had competed in 65 Grand Slam tournaments in a row, going all the way back to 1999 when he was an up-and-coming 18 year old.  Federer has some set some amazing records, among them 17 Grand Slam singles titles and 23 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances, and this is another one that will last a long time. Federer has been plagued by back problems this spring and the red clay at Roland Garros is a tough surface for him to win on - he has only won it once back in 2009, completing the career Grand Slam. Any aggravation to his injury here at the French, where his chances to win the title were rather slim, would jeopardize his participation at Wimbledon, where his chances are much greater and which is scheduled to start in early July.  So, at this point for Federer, discretion is the greater part of valor.

In any case, the drama at this year's French Open was going to be whether Novak Djokovic could complete his career Grand Slam or whether the newly resurgent Rafael Nadal would continue his domination of this tournament, having won it 9 times already.  A Djokovic victory would also put him well on the way to winning the calendar Grand Slam as he will be the favorite at Wimbledon and the US Open.  But Roland Garros always has its share of surprises and I expect this year will be no different.