Federer's candid revelation about French Open snub

Roger Federer has made a surprising admission about his decision to snub the French Open despite feeling "totally ready."

The 18-time grand slam champion stunned the tennis world when he decided to give his body and the skip the clay court season ahead of Wimbledon.

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Federer has now opened up about the move and explained how hard it was to miss a grand slam when he was in great shape.

"It was a tough one," Federer said.

"It was the first time in my life I pulled out of a grand slam feeling fine. Actually I was totally ready to go.

"But it would have been the unknown to just switch surfaces and go into the French Open, maybe one of the toughest tournaments out there so I just didn't feel like it was the right thing to do.

"That's why I ended up skipping Paris."

Nadal made the most of the Swiss great's absence, making history as the first man to win the same grand slam 10 times.

Federer was full of praise when asked what he made of his rivals' form while he was idle.

"What stands out is Rafa's 10th win at the French Open and Stan's great run in Paris as well," Federer said.

"The best players were in the finals and Rafa once again cemented himself as the greatest clay-court player of all time.

"He's also making a case to be one of the greatest of all time.

"I'm so impressed by how you can just dominate one tournament from start to finish throughout your entire career.

"It was very impressive, I was very happy for him."

Federer's return to action in Stuttgart last week proved brief as he suffered a shock defeat to fellow veteran Tommy Haas, but the Swiss remains at peace with his decision to take time away from the tour.

"Considering how well I felt going into Paris, it was surprisingly easy to take the decision and after making it I never had any regrets watching it or following the results," said the Swiss ahead of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle - an event he has won on eight occasions.

"I never thought, 'if only I was part of the tournament'. I was looking ahead to the grass season and enjoyed the time with my friends and family at home.

"For a long time the schedule was to play Paris but all of a sudden I just felt that I wouldn't be comfortable doing it. I didn't want to compromise the goal of the grass-court season, Wimbledon, the US Open and beyond.

"I felt that the French Open may potentially have a negative effect on what's to come. It may have been helpful, but I felt there was more risk that it would go the other way. Based on health, that’s why I decided to skip.

"But it's not a trend that I might follow in the future. I don't know what the future holds. This was just a one-off decision."