Roger Federer reveals his schedule for 2018, makes notable omissions from calendar

Roger Federer has disclosed his probable schedule for 2018, listing all the major hard and grass court tournaments and hinting that he is likely to give the clay courts a miss again this year. The Swiss ace had an extremely successful 2017 campaign following the above schedule, going on to win seven titles – including the Australian Open and Wimbledon – and taking his tally of slams to 19.

The Swiss ace skipped the clay swing last year following a blistering start to the season that saw him win three of the four events he entered and he looks set to replicate that in 2018 by keeping with the tried-and-tested model.

Federer's biggest takeaway from the year was his ability to manage his fitness, which came with playing fewer games and choosing his tournaments intelligently, something he hopes will help alleviate his fitness issues.

He had a disappointing end to the 2017 campaign, however, losing the ATP World Tour semi-finals to David Goffin after missing out on the world number one ranking to Rafael Nadal. It was a near miss for the 19-time Grand Slam winner, who holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 with 302 but has not peaked the rankings since 2012.

Federer will begin his Australian Open defence against Aljaz Bedene in the first round as he looks to get his season underway with a title. Post Australia, he has his eyes set on Wimbledon and the US Open, hinting that he is likely to miss the French Open.

"After Australia, Indian Wells and Miami, on grass, I know there are Halle and Wimbledon," Federer told L'Equipe, as quoted by Tennis World USA. "But the rest of the season... Yes, North America, US Open, Laver Cup, Shanghai, Basel and hopefully ATP Finals, but apart from this, there is still some hole.

"Dubai is still not sure because for the first time in years, I haven't any contract. And it's beautiful because it gives me the chance to think. Same thing for Stuttgart. Do I skip or keep it? And then there is clay, that is the big decision because it will all depend on it. It's still enough open. I am looking forward to seeing how the Australian Open will be."