Roger Federer to play 2020 French Open, in addition to Olympic Games

We're still a month or so away from the end of the 2019 season, but Roger Federer is looking ahead to 2020. On Monday, the 38-year-old confirmed that he'll compete for Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympic Games. And on Thursday, he gave his legions of fans more reason to celebrate with news that he'll return to Roland Garros for the second consecutive year.

While participation in a Grand Slam tournament may seem a fait accompli for a Top 5 player, this is Federer, and he's been selective with his schedule for years, often choosing to pass on clay-court events in order to preserve his health. He didn't play any clay-court tournaments in 2017 and 2018, and his return to Roland Garros this year was his first appearance in Paris since 2015.

With that in mind, you may have thought little of Federer's chances in best-of-five-set competition on the physically demanding terre battue. But this is Federer, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion reached the semifinal round, before falling to longtime rival—and French Open tormentor—Rafael Nadal. (See above video for highlights and analysis of their match.)

Federer broke the news to CNN's Christina Macfarlane, along with some of the other tournaments he's planning on playing in 2020. But while we'll see Federer sliding into Paris, he likely won't be doing so at other clay-court venues.

"I will play the French Open and I probably won't play much before that," Federer said. "...I'll probably play the French, Halle, Wimbledon, the Olympics, maybe Cincinnati and then the US Open."