World number one Novak Djokovic became the latest star player to withdraw from the Madrid Masters, which begins of May 2.
The 33-year-old was last seen in action on his home soil at the Serbia Open last week, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Russia’s Aslan Karatsev.
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“Sorry that I won’t be able to travel to Madrid this year and meet all my fans,” Djokovic said in a message shared by the Madrid Open organisers on Twitter.
“It’s been two years already, quite a long time. Hope to see you all next year!”
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Djokovic joined the list of high-profile absentees at the combined event, which include Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Stan Wawrinka and Bianca Andreescu.
The pandemic had forced the 2020 edition of the Madrid Open to be cancelled, which means 2019 winner Djokovic is still the last champion at the event.
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Djokovic is still expected to feature at next month’s Rome Masters and Belgrade Open in the lead up to the claycourt major in Paris, which begins on May 30.
