Novak Djokovic reacts after wining a point against Jakub Mensik during the Miami Open tennis men’s final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
The Miami Open got off to a dreary start Sunday.
Rain and lightning delayed the opening qualifying round matches and then, mid-afternoon, the tournament announced that six-time champion Novak Djokovic withdrew due to a right shoulder injury.
The 38-year-old Serbian star competed last week in Indian Wells, California, where he lost in the Round of 16 to Jack Draper. He reached the second round in doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was a finalist at this year’s Australian Open.
Djokovic reached the Miami Open final in 2025 before losing to 19-year-old Jakub Mensik. By pulling out of this year’s tournament, he will not have the opportunity to defend the ranking points he earned by reaching that final, so he will lose 650 points in the ATP rankings. He is expected to fall to at least fourth place, behind Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Although he made many deep runs in the Miami Open over the years (six titles, eight finals), has played it only once since 2019. He returned last year after missing five years in a row due to COVID and other issues.
Djokovic will shift his focus to the clay season and the French Open.
Meanwhile, many of Sunday’s matches were rescheduled for Monday due to the inclement weather. There had been no play at all as of 3:30 p.m.
This story was originally published March 15, 2026 at 3:40 PM.
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Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.