Miami Open withdrawals: Legendary champion joins growing list of players ruled out
The list of players who will be absent from the Miami Open is growing, with the latest withdrawal the biggest name of them all so far.
Novak Djokovic shares the record for the most Miami Open wins with Andre Agassi, but last year’s finalist will not be competing in Florida this year after he was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.
The news was confirmed with a statement on the ATP website, which read: “Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open presented by Itau due to a right shoulder injury, the tournament announced Sunday.
“The Serbian star competed in Indian Wells, where he reached the fourth round in singles and the second round in doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas. A finalist at this year’s Australian Open, Djokovic is now 7-2 in singles this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“The 38-year-old is a six-time Miami champion who last year made the final before falling to Jakub Mensik.
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“Djokovic owns the record for most ATP Masters 1000 titles with 40 and he has won 101 tour-level trophies overall, most recently triumphing last November in Athens.”
There are no details on the severity of Djokovic’s injury, but his long match against Jack Draper that went all the way to a third set tie-break appears to have left a lasting mark on 38-year-old Djokovic.
His absence is undoubtedly a blow to the Miami Open, as he joined a long list of ATP Tour players who will not be playing in the second ATP Masters 1000 tournament of this month.
Holger Rune, Tallon Griekspoor, Jaume Munar, Lorenzo Sonego and Jerry Shang are among the male players who qualified for the Miami Open and are unable to compete.
In the WTA Tour draw for Miami, there have also been a series of high-profile withdrawals.
Lois Boisson, Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Pliskova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova all had a chance to play in Miami, but they have been forced to pull out.
The quick turnaround between the Indian Wells tournament and Miami is always a challenge for players, with the extended format of both events making them more draining for players who reach the back end in the first of the two marquee events.
Despite the withdrawals, the Miami Open is set to feature a star-studded line-up, with Jannik Sinner looking to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ after winning the Indian Wells Masters title for the first time in his career after a win against Daniil Medvedev in a high-quality final.
His big rival Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping to snap back at Sinner by winning in Miami and Medvedev will be a player to watch after his sparkling performances in Indian Wells.
In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will be the player to beat after her Indian Wells title win, with another match-up against Elena Rybakina to follow up their epic match in California on Sunday a possibility in Miami.
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