The Swiss great traveled to the Spanish capital for the tournament
but was unable to practice on Monday and announced his withdrawal.
Federer, however, said he would be back for the Rome Masters next
week.
"I don't want to take more chances as I know I'm not going to be
fully ready for Wednesday," he added, referring to his opening
match.
"I would rather play it safe and rest up now and get ready for Rome.
I'm sorry to the tournament for coming and leaving without playing.
"I arrived and I was okay and then I practiced on Saturday and hurt
my back a little bit and stopped early. I'm very disappointed to say
the least," said Federer.
"I changed my schedule around and practiced well in Switzerland
before coming here."
Federer said he was not worried about his preparations for the
French Open that starts on May 22.
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"I've been doing a lot of practice on clay," the world number three
explained. "I don't always need a lot of matches to feel 100 percent
ready.
"With my experience and the way I feel about big tournaments, if I
have matches, great. If I don't, I trust in my game, in my mind that
I'll be fine regardless of the preparations."
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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