The Swiss, who defied logic to win the Australian Open in January after being out of tennis for six months, will skip the May 28-June 11 claycourt major for the second year running after missing last year's edition through injury.
"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 claycourt season this year and prepare for the grass and hardcourt seasons," world No 5 Federer, who won his sole Roland Garros title in 2009, said on his Facebook page.
"The start to the year has been magical for me but I need to recognise that scheduling will be the key to my longevity moving forward.
