Madrid Open: Roger Federer pulls out

Roger Federer speaks of his withdrawal from the Madrid open in a press conference

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer announced on Monday that he has pulled out of the Madrid Open Masters 1000 tournament.

The Swiss maestro, ranked third in the world and champion of the Madrid Open in 2006, 2009 and 2012, told the press that he preferred not to take the risk and revealed his withdrawal was due to a "back problem," reports Efe.

Federer explained that he has back pain and that he had to stop training on Sunday and Monday, adding that he did not want to take any risks before Wednesday when he was scheduled to start his Madrid campaign.

The Swiss added that he would prefer to prepare for the Italian Open instead.