Roger Federer's decision to withdraw from the French Open was based on a lack of training due to injury, according to French Open tournament director Guy Forget.
Federer injured his back before Madrid and was less than fully fit in Rome, playing just two matches at the event. He arrived in Paris and practiced for a day before deciding not to play.
"According to [agent] Tony Godsick, it is an issue of physical readiness," Forget told the press in French at the French Open. "His agent told me that he is [in] condition to play, but is not capable of playing five sets against fully-trained players. He is lacking a week or 10 days of training."
Forget said that Federer's coach, Ivan Ljubicic, had initially requested a Tuesday start, which suggested that he was not yet fully ready.
"That he withdrew before the draw suggests it was less good than he thought," Forget added.
Federer has indicated that he will return for the grass-court season, where he is scheduled to start in Stuttgart.