Roger Federer is planning on taking part in this season’s clay-court season, saying he has “missed not doing it”.
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.
“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 took 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.