Roger Federer, who has been in rare form at 35, announced on Monday that he will not play in the French Open, which begins in two weeks, and will instead focus on the grass-court and hardcourt events ahead, including Wimbledon and the United States Open.

This will be the first year since Federer turned professional in 1998 that he will not play a tour event on clay.

“I’ve been working really hard, both on and off the court, during the last month, but in order to try and play on the ATP World Tour for many years to come, I feel it’s best to skip the clay-court season this year,” he said in a statement. “The start to the year has been magical for me, but I need to recognize that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward.”

Smart and selective scheduling has played a big role in Federer’s enduring excellence. He is the most successful men’s player of the Open era, with 18 Grand Slam singles titles, but his performance in 2017 has surpassed even his own expectations.