Tournament director reveals Roger Federer return date amid uncertainty over French Open participation

Roger Federer is committed to playing the French Open that begins on 22 May according to the tournament director, Guy Forget.

The Swiss ace has opted to skip the clay court swing of the ATP tour this season and has missed the last event in Monte Carlo and the ongoing tournament in Barcelona. He is also set to miss the Masters Series events in Madrid and Rome before returning to action at the second Grand Slam of the year in Roland Garros.

Federer has made a blistering start to the 2017 campaign, winning three – Australian Open, BNP Paribas and the Miami Masters – of the four tournaments he has played in thus far. The 35-year-old made it clear that staying fit and peaking at major tournaments is his goal for the season, and pinpointed the Wimbledon and US Open as his next targets for the season.

Federer's preference for grass and hard courts and his decision to miss the entire clay court swing has raised questions regarding his participation in the French Open. But the Roland Garros tournament director confirmed that the world number four is committed to playing the event as they have not been informed about a possible withdrawal.

"At the moment I have not any info about his withdrawal. He is committed to play this event. He is the best player of the year so far. Behind him there is Rafael Nadal, who has been the best player on clay in the last ten years ahead of Roger Federer, who learned how to play on clay," Forget said, as quoted by Tennis World USA.

Forget also shed light on the Sharapova situation and revealed that they will make a decision on whether to hand the five-time Grand Slam champion a wildcard for the main draw of the event on 16 May via a live Facebook broadcast.

It is believed that the organisers are considering giving the Russian entry into the qualifying rounds, but if Sharapova, who is in the semi-finals at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart this week, makes the finals in Germany, she will be eligible for the qualifying rounds without the need of a wildcard.