Federer to make clay court return at Madrid

Bengaluru, February 20: Former world No.1 Roger Federer confirmed his participation for this year's Madrid Open on Wednesday, marking his return to the European clay court season after two years away.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played this year since his Australian Open round-of-16 defeat to Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in January.

Federer, whose sole French Open title came in 2009, has preferred to skip the European clay season over the last two seasons to manage his schedule.

The 37-year-old Swiss is the second most successful player at the Caja Magica behind Rafael Nadal, winning three titles in 2006, 2009 and 2012.

"Federer is one of the best players of all time, it's no secret," tournament director Feliciano Lopez said in a statement.

¡Sí! 🎉 ¡@rogerfederer jugará el #MMOPEN! 👑🇨🇭❤️ ¡Bienvenido de nuevo, Rog! 🤜🏻🤛🏻 ¡Nos vemos en mayo en la Caja Mágica! 🙌🏻😎https://t.co/R1CyMOJvsC pic.twitter.com/YDecSl04Rg

— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) February 20, 2019

"We are happy because his return to Madrid is a gift to the tournament, but above all the fans will be able to see a unique player in the Caja Magica. Having the Swiss player back on clay with Djokovic and Nadal is going to be unmissable."

World number one Novak Djokovic and 11-time French Open winner Nadal are also expected to feature at the Madrid Open, which will be played from May 3-12.

(With inputs from Agencies)