Cape Town - Roger Federer has admitted he has 'dreams of coming back' to Roland Garros to compete in the French Open. 

In the past two years, Federer has opted not to play in the event in a bid to spare his body and focus on the tournaments he felt he had the best chances of winning. 

Only one of the Swiss star's 20 Grand Slam titles have come at Roland Garros, where he has frequently played second fiddle to the 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal. 

But with Nadal currently facing a recurring injury problem that seems more serious by the day, and several of the game's other major stars dealing with similar issues, Federer must be seriously considering reversing his French Open decision. 

Were he to decide to play in Paris this year, he stands a great chance of heading in as the favourite - particularly if Nadal doesn't fully recover in time. 

Federer admits he hasn't decided on his participation yet, but judging by an interview he gave at the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards earlier this week where he won Sportsman of the Year and Comeback of the Year, it seems a genuine possibility. 

"I dream of coming back to Roland-Garros," Federer told French outlet RMC Sport. 

“[But] I do not know, I will decide that in April after Indian Wells. 

“[It depends on] how I feel, it's much more than a decision, it's the decision of the year, it's in the middle of the year, it's a surface change. 

“I'm going to focus on the hard but honestly, I hope.”