PARIS, FRANCE — Swiss national hero and long-term orthopedic case study Roger Federer has shocked the tennis world by sensationally withdrawing from the French Open in order to restart his pursuit of a pair of replacement knee joints—a move likely to end any remaining public interest in this year's events at Roland Garros.

After taking over a year off from tennis due to recurring problems in his right knee, Federer returned to action in March and cruised through the first three rounds in Paris before ultimately deciding it would be impossible to continue using both knees moving forward.

"Roger has less than a month to find knees for Wimbledon, so every minute he spent on court in Paris is a minute he could have spent tracking some down," claimed an ATP Tour source familiar with Federer's recent medical history. "I'm not surprised he's withdrawn, to be honest. There's really no time to waste."

"Wimbledon has to be the priority. In the grand scheme of things, no one in the world thinks the French Open is important."

While many in tennis circles have questioned the wisdom of seeking a full knee replacement so close to a grand slam, Bradley Smith, the Head of Experimental Surgery at King's College Hospital in London, believes there's plenty of time for eight-time Wimbledon winner Federer to recover for the Championships after he finds a new pair.

"He's proven time and time again—well, maybe once or twice—that he's capable of coming back with replacement body parts and regaining his top form," said Smith. "With medical science being what it is these days, there's no reason why Roger can't have a massively invasive surgical procedure one week and be out on court the next."

"Of course, there's no guarantee the knees wouldn't just snap, but if he's able to win, wouldn't that be something?"