Djordje, the brother of tennis legend Novak Djokovic, acknowledged that he does not understand why the tennis legend will not defend his Paris Masters title. Without giving any prior notice or explanation, Djokovic, 37, abruptly withdrew from the tournament he won the previous year.
Three days before the October 26 start date of the show, he dropped the bombshell on the size of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday. In last year’s final, Djokovic defeated Grigo Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 to win the tournament.
Since he is not assured of making it to the ATP Finals in Turin in November, his unexpected withdrawal might have far-reaching consequences and possibly mark the end of his tennis season this year. The 29-year-old also expressed confusion about the matter when questioned about his brother’s ambitions.
“I’m not sure that he knows at this moment,” Djordje stated in an interview with the Serbian publication Sport. To be honest, he, his staff, and his family must make that decision.
“He won a gold medal at the Olympic Games to cap off an extremely hectic year. Additionally, you noticed that he cancelled Paris, which is one week before Belgrade.
Djokovic announced his choice in a statement, but he did not explain. “Unfortunately, I will not be participating in the Paris Masters this year,” he wrote. To everyone who hoped to see me perform there, I apologise.
“I hope the competition is fantastic for all of the players, sponsors, organisers, and spectators. I want to see you again soon because I have many memories of winning seven titles there.
In the ATP Finals tournament, which pits the top eight players in the world against one another in the season-ending competition, Djokovic is presently ranked sixth in the “race to Turin.” While Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alex De Minaur are threatening to overtake him, Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, Alex Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz are now ranked higher.
He will lose a significant number of ranking points as a result of his choice to not defend his title in Paris. The 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t had many titles this year.
The Olympic gold medal he earned in the French capital, where he defeated Alcaraz for the first time in 2024, was his lone significant victory. Additionally, he hasn’t won a Grand Slam this season for the first time since 2017.
Djokovic’s first Grand Slam final appearance came at Wimbledon when Alcaraz thrashed the Serbian in straight sets. While Italian World No. 1 Jannik Sinner won the US Open and the Australian Open, the World No. 2 also took home the French Open title.