Novak Djokovic recently announced that he would not compete at the Paris Masters. The Serb competed at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh just a few days back and finished fourth there after retiring in his third-place match against Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic’s Shock Announcement
The Serb played his first tournament since the US Open at the Shanghai Masters and reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Valentin Vacherot. He then competed in the Six Kings Slam and received a bye to the semifinal. Here, Djokovic faced Jannik Sinner and registered a 4-6, 2-6 defeat to Jannik Sinner, who went on to win the event after beating Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in the final.
The Serb played Taylor Fritz in the third-place playoff and retired after losing the first set 5-7 due to an injury. He earned a participation fee of $1.5 million, along with the other players apart from Sinner, who bagged $6 million.
Just days after the tournament, Djokovic confirmed his withdrawal from the Paris Masters, a tournament he has won seven times. The Serb took to his Instagram stories and wrote:
“Dear Paris, unfortunately I’ll not compete at this year’s @rolexparismasters. I have amazing memories and great success over the years, especially being able to conquer this title seven times. Hope to see you next year. Merci.”
This the second successive year Djokovic will not compete at the Paris Masters. The Serb is the most successful player in the history of the Masters 1000 event and has reached the final in each of the last three editions he took part in. He last featured in the tournament in 2023 and won it after beating Grigor Dimitrov in the final in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic is Next Scheduled to Compete in the ATP Finals
As he is not participating at the Paris Masters, the Serb’s next tournament is the ATP Finals in Turin. He did not compete in the year-end championships last year and his last appearance came in 2023, when he won a record-equaling seventh title after beating Sinner in the final.
After the ATP Finals, he is scheduled to end his 2025 season at the Hellenic Championships, which will take place in Athens, a city he has made his home. Djokovic has won 35 out of 46 matches so far this year, reaching the semifinals of all Grand Slams and the Miami Open final. His only tournament win came in Geneva, but it was a landmark one as he won his 100th singles title.
