The tennis world has its eyes glued to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as the championship matches of the 2026 BNP Paribas Open are scheduled for Sunday, March 15. However, right after the women’s final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka began, a major update emerged regarding Novak Djokovic’s participation in the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami.
Novak Djokovic Out of Miami Open as Injury Concerns Grow After Indian Wells
The Serbian legend has withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury, meaning he will suffer a massive point drop once the second leg of the Sunshine Doubles concludes. Despite the fact that Djokovic will turn 39 in just two months, the 24-time Grand Slam Champion is still one of the strongest competitors on the ATP Tour. He proved this in Melbourne this year by reaching the 2026 Australian Open final, his first major final since Wimbledon 2024.
Djokovic faced and overcame opponents at least a decade younger than him, with the oldest being the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who was 30. When he reached the semifinals, the entire world was expecting another final-four exit, just like all four majors in 2025.
However, Djokovic stunned everyone by defeating the two-time defending champion and arguably the strongest hard-court player since 2024, Jannik Sinner, to reach the final, where he lost to World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
He then returned to Tennis Paradise, where he captivated everyone with his elite gameplay before eventually falling to the defending champion, Jack Draper, in the fourth round. Sadly, for the fans wanting to see another display of his on-court prowess, the wait has gotten a bit longer.
According to sources, the six-time Miami Open Champion has withdrawn from the event due to a right shoulder injury. This is unfortunate news for Djokovic himself, who finished as the runner-up last year, losing to Czech teenager Jakub Menšík.
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During his Indian Wells campaign, the Serbian legend revealed he was dealing with an “odd” right forearm injury and was using compression sleeves in the early rounds. He battled through this issue, reaching the fourth round at Tennis Paradise for the first time since 2017, where he delivered a match-of-the-year contender against Draper.
At last year’s Miami Open, the six-time champion entered the tournament as the fourth seed and received a bye in the first round. He faced Rinky Hijikata in his first match and easily defeated the Australian 6-0, 7-6(1). He then dispatched Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti, 24th seed Sebastian Korda, and the 14th seed Grigor Dimitrov, all in straight sets, to reach the final.
Djokovic had 99 ATP Tour titles before entering the tournament, aiming to become only the third man in ATP history to win 100 titles after American legend Jimmy Connors and the 20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer. However, his opponent, Menšík, denied him this opportunity, beating him 7-6(4), 7-6(4). Even though he went on to lift the Geneva Open trophy in May, defeating Polish star Hubert Hurkacz in the finals, the loss in Miami stopped him from breaking Andre Agassi’s record of six titles at the venue.
This runner-up finish in the Sunshine Doubles earned Djokovic 650 ranking points, which will be deducted after the tournament ends this year, as he won’t be defending them. This means that the Serbian legend, who re-entered the ATP Top 3 after his runner-up finish in Melbourne, will slide out, handing Alexander Zverev back his position, which he held for most of the 2025 season.
The entire tennis world is praying for the Serbian legend’s speedy recovery and will be keeping an eye on his return to the ATP Tour.
