Novak Djokovic has joined a growing list of tennis stars who’ll be missing the Miami Open after withdrawing from the hard court tournament due to a right shoulder injury. Organisers of the Masters 1000 event confirmed in an announcement that Djokovic had pulled out of the tournament he finished runner-up at last year, making him one of the latest grand slam champs to have withdrawn.
It comes hot on the heels of the Serb’s exit at Indian Wells, where he was beaten by Britain’s Jack Draper in the round of 16 after one of the best matches of the season so far. Djokovic’s withdrawal means he’s set to drop outside world’s top three after losing 650 points from Miami, and with Alexander Zverev only defending 100 points after last year’s round of 16 exit.
Pictured right is Novak Djokovic has joined a growing list of withdrawals from the Miami Open, which includes fellow grand slam champ, Emma Raducanu. Pic: Getty
“Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open presented by Itau due to a right shoulder injury,” organisers said in a statement. “The Serbian star competed in Indian Wells, where he reached the fourth round in singles and the second round in doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“The 38-year-old is a six-time Miami champion who last year made the final before falling to Jakub Mensik. Djokovic owns the record for most ATP Masters 1000 titles with 40 and he has won 101 tour-level trophies overall, most recently triumphing last November in Athens.”
Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur and Ben Shelton are also in a position to overtake Djokovic in the world rankings if they go deep in Miami ahead of the European clay-court swing. Six-time Miami Masters champ Djokovic will now be working towards a return at the Monte Carlo Masters, with disappointed fans wishing him a speedy recovery as he continues toward the quest for a record-breaking 25th grand slam singles title this year.
Several grand slam champs withdraw from Miami Masters
Djokovic’s absence is yet another blow to Miami organisers, with Holger Rune, Tallon Griekspoor, Jaume Munar, Lorenzo Sonego and Jerry Shang among those to also pull out of the men’s draw. The women’s draw has also been rocked by a number of high-profile withdrawals, including grand slam champions Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova.
Raducanu became unwell while playing in the Middle East but still made it to the third round at Indian Wells, where she was crushed in straight sets by Amanda Anisimova. However, the former US Open champion is still battling post-viral symptoms that have forced her to pull out of Miami.
Grand slam champs Emma Raducanu and Barbora Krejcikova are among a number of top women’s stars to withdraw from the Miami Open. Pic: Getty
The Briton joins two-time grand slam singles champ Krejcikova and former Wimbledon winner Vondrousova as some of the biggest stars missing from the women’s draw. World No.37 Lois Boisson is the highest ranked withdrawal in the women’s draw, with Karolina Pliskova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova also forced to pull out.
It raises fresh questions around the packed tennis schedule which has come under fire on numerous occasions already this season. The quick turnaround between Indian Wells and Miami, and the extended formats of both events often proves challenging for players, particularly if they’re involved at the back-end of both tournaments.