Federer to skip French Open again

Roger Federer will skip the upcoming European clay court season, including the French Open, he said Saturday after his shock loss to 175th-ranked Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Miami Open. "I decided not to play," Federer said of his plan for Europe. The decision means the 36-year-old will follow the same path as last year, when he also took two months off after the Miami Open, before returning to win Wimbledon.

Roger Federer this evening:

? Loses opening match at #MiamiOpen ? Back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2014 ? Will relinquish number 1 ranking at end of the tournament ? Announces decision not to play the French Open pic.twitter.com/iLCC9NWe6r — BBC Tennis (@bbctennis) March 24, 2018

Federer's loss to Kokkinakis was his second in six days, after falling to Juan Martin del Potro at Indian Wells. Kokkinakis is the lowest-ranked player to defeat a men's world No 1 since 178th-ranked Francisco Clavet beat Lleyton Hewitt in Miami 2003, the ATP Tour said on its website.