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Wild Card Federer to play in Monte Carlo Masters

MONACO (AP) — Roger Federer has accepted a wild card invitation to play in the Monte Carlo Masters after skipping the tournament for the past two years.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lose three straight finals in Monte Carlo to Rafael Nadal from 2006-08, has not played in the tournament since 2011, when he lost to Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals.

The 32-year-old Federer won his first title of the year in Dubai, beating Novak Djokovic in a three-set semifinal. He lost in the semifinals at the Australian Open and has reached three finals, losing narrowly to Djokovic in the BNP Paribas Open final last month and to Lleyton Hewitt in Brisbane in early January.

The tournament starts Sunday.