Tennis: Djokovic pulls out of Madrid Open over injury concerns

Former tennis world No 1 Novak Djokovic is still working through the ⁠injury problems ⁠that forced him to miss recent tournaments and said on ⁠Friday that he will not feature at next week’s Madrid Open, one of the last stops before ⁠the French Open.

The 38-year-old has played only two tournaments this year, the Australian Open in February and the Indian Wells in March, raising concerns over his fitness ahead of the French Open, which begins in Paris in about a month.

“Madrid, unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete this year. I’m continuing my recovery in order to be back soon,” Djokovic, who has struggled with a ‌shoulder issue, wrote in a post on X.

The Serb told Spanish broadcaster Movistar+ at a EuroLeague basketball game in the Spanish capital on Thursday that he was “struggling physically a little bit with an injury” but expressed hopes of playing in the tournament.

Novak Djokovic’s biggest match this year was the Australian Open final, in which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz [File: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images]

Djokovic, now fourth in the ATP rankings, lost to Carlos Alcaraz in ⁠the Australian Open final in February and pulled out of the Doha Open later that month due to fatigue.

He fell to Jack Draper in the Indian Wells fourth round in March before skipping ⁠the Miami Open in the same month due to a right shoulder injury.

The 24-time Grand Slam ⁠champion then skipped last week’s Monte ⁠Carlo Masters before arriving in Spain to begin preparations for the April 22-May 3 Madrid Open.

The draw for the Madrid Open – where Djokovic is a three-time champion – will be held ‌on Monday.

Djokovic is next scheduled to compete at the May 6-17 Italian Open in Rome, before bidding for a record 25th Grand Slam title at the French Open, which begins on May 24.