Federer admits he has ‘massive regrets’ after Tsitsipas defeat FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. After months of speculation, Federer has finally given the response, clay court tournament organisers have been waiting for. “It’s a bit of a desire,” he said. “I’m in a phase where I want to have fun and I’ve missed not doing it. “I don’t feel it is necessary to have a big break again.” Federer’s last match at the French Open was in 2015 when he was beaten by eventual champion Stan Wawrinka. In 2016, he withdrew from Roland Garros with a back problem. The following year, Federer skipped the clay to rest his knee after the Australian Open. It was a decision which worked as he then went on to win an eighth Wimbledon title. Roger Federer exited the Australian Open to Stefanos Tsitsipas And last year, Federer won in Australia and kept his options open about whether he would play on the clay. Then after crashing out of the Miami Open, he announced he would skip the clay for a second consecutive year. But was unable to win a ninth Wimbledon title, losing in five sets to Kevin Anderson in the quarter-finals. And now after his defeat to Greek rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas, Federer has signaled his intention to get his socks covered in red dirt again. Roger Federer last played at the French Open in 2015<doc-sep>In an interview to SRF the former Swiss Fed Cup team captain Peter Gunthardt commented on Roger Federer's decision to play the clay-court season. At the moment the only tournament confirmed is the French Open but the 37-year-old is set to add one or two events to his schedule. 'It surprised me', admitted Günthardt speaking to SRF. 'I was a little bit disappointed that he did not play last year.' On the differences between grass and clay, Günthardt added: 'The footwork is different. It depends on your feelings how hard and how far you can slide. Clay-courts specialists play with a lot of top spin. This is not necessarily for Roger's game. He will have to be more patient and run more. He needs to try not to play the classic clay-court tennis. So this is how he can be competitive.' Severin Luthi and Ivan Ljubicic, Federer's two coaches, did not basically make any quote during the Australian Open. Instead, Serena Williams's coach Patrick Mouratoglou spoke a lot to the reporters and he reflected on his coaching during year's US Open final: "Only in the Grand Slams it’s not allowed, I think this needed to be said. You are right, I don’t know if it was emotional, but clearly, she [Serena] was a bit lost during that match and I felt like I had to do make I could to help', said Mouratoglou. 'And that’s not allowed but on the other side it’s tolerated because the coaches are doing it at the matches almost every day, we all know that. If it’s not too obvious the Chair Umpire lets it happen, and if it becomes too obvious, in general, he tells the player, “please tell your coach to slow down otherwise I am going to have to warn you”. So to answer your question, and it’s a very difficult question, how can you give a warning to a coach as he doesn’t risk anything – maybe it should be the case – I don’t know. More than that, it should be consistent." ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title<doc-sep>Roger Federer has been slammed for skipping the clay season for the past two years FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Federer announced he will be adding some clay tournaments to his schedule this year following his fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. Rafael Nadal has been the dominant force on the red dirt for well over a decade, amassing 11 French Open titles. But Federer will be out to try and break the Spaniard’s stronghold. Still, Wilander is disappointed the world No 3 has not competed at Roland Garros in recent years. “I was very surprised to see him not enter the last two years,” Wilander exclusively told Express Sport. “That’s not the point. He owes it to the fans to play all four majors. “Every player on the professional tour has to play all four majors. “There are times when players haven’t played all four majors because they have been injured and we’ve missed them. The Swiss star is expected to compete at the French Open “When Nadal didn’t play Wimbledon we missed him. “He needs to play in the French Open because he owes it to tennis and I think he has realised that.” Federer, 37, chose to skip the clay season to preserve his ageing body ahead of Wimbledon. But he lost in the quarter-finals last year and blamed a lack of action in the build-up to his exit. Roger Federer was knocked out of the Australian Open by Stefanos Tsitsipas<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Federer crashed out of the Australian Open on Sunday after defeat to Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round. After the match, Federer was asked about his plans for the clay court season and he revealed a desire to return to the French for the first time since 2015. “It’s a bit of a desire,” he said. “I’m in a phase where I want to have fun and I’ve missed not doing it.<doc-sep>
The 37-year-old Swiss has not played on clay since the 2016 Italian Open, and was beaten by Stan Wawrinka in his 2015 appearance at the French Open. Federer was knocked out of this year's Australian Open by Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, and after the match explained his decision. ATP Belgrade Djokovic overcomes lapse to book spot in Belgrade final 10 MINUTES AGO "I'm in a phase where I want to have fun," Federer said. "It's a bit of a desire. I don't feel it is necessary to have a big break again." Federer explained that he left Australia with massive regrets over his performance. He said: "I have massive regrets tonight. I felt like I have to win the second set. I don’t care how I do it, but I have to do it. (It) cost me the game tonight. "I lost to a better player who was playing very well. He hung in there, gave himself chances at some point, stayed calm. It’s not always easy, especially for younger guys. Credit to him for taking care of that.” Federer had taken the decision to skip the last two clay seasons after negotiating several injuries in his thirties. His struggle for fitness saw him withdraw from 2016's Roland Garros with a back injury. In 2017 he announced he would only play in the French Open, but ultimately skipped the competition to feature in Wimbledon, which he won. Roland-Garros After mixed clay season, can Djokovic really 'peak' in Paris? A DAY AGO