Federer withdraws from Stockholm Open

Oct 1, 2008 - 6:37 PM STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Ticker) -- Thirteen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer announced Wednesday that he will not play in next week's Stockholm Open.

The world No. 2, who has not played since winning his fifth consecutive U.S. Open title last month, said he simply needs a break.

"(This) has been a tough year for me as I was always playing catch up after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the beginning of the year," said Federer, who lost the No. 1 ranking to Rafael Nadal in August after holding it for a record 237 consecutive weeks. "I feel fortunate to be healthy again, but I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the No. 1 ranking again."

Federer, 27, added that he is not sure when he will return to the ATP Tour, but hopes to be back before the end of the year.