17-time tennis Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has announced, via his Facebook page, that he is withdrawing from the French Open, set to begins on Sunday in Paris.

The 34 year-old Federer, the 2009 champion at Roland Garros, is ranked number 3 in the World Rankings this week.  And is the men's tennis all-time record-holder with the aforementioned 17 major titles.

Federer cites a knee injury that has bothered him for most of 2016 as the reason for his withdrawl.

World Number 1 Novak Djokovic, nine-time French champion Rafael Nadal, and defending champion Stan Wawrinka are the favorites to win the second major of the year at Roland Garros this year.

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