Novak Djokovic withdraws from ATP Finals as he reveals injury in statement
Novak Djokovic has announced he will not defend his title at the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin due to an “ongoing injury.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was almost certain to qualify for next week’s year-end championships as he sits sixth in the live Race to Turin rankings.
The Serbian’s withdrawal means the eight qualifiers for the ATP Finals are set, with Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev joining the already-qualified Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz.
Ruud, de Minaur and Rublev, who are all in action this week, could have all overtaken Djokovic and left him outside of the eight qualification spots anyway, although that scenario was unlikely.
In a message shared on his Instagram story, Djokovic explained why he will not play in Turin and apologised to fans.
“It’s quite an honour to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin,” the Serbian wrote.
“I was really looking forward to being there, but due to ongoing injury I won’t be playing next week.
“Apologies to those who were planning to see me. Wishing all the players a great tournament. See you soon!”
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It is unclear if Djokovic’s injury is related to the meniscus surgery he underwent earlier this year, or whether it is a separate issue.
Djokovic’s participation at the ATP Finals looked doubtful after he pulled out of last week’s Paris Masters — another tournament he won in 2023.
The 37-year-old declared in September that playing the ATP Finals was not his goal and admitted he was “done” with tournaments other than Grand Slams and team events where he represents Serbia.
“Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings etc,” he told reporters in Serbia during a Davis Cup tie.
“As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams, everything else is less important.”
Djokovic, who dropped from fourth to fifth in the ATP Rankings after losing the 1,000 points for his 2023 Paris title, could slip further after the ATP Finals.
He will drop the 1,300 points he collected en route to winning the event last year, taking his points total from 5,210 to 3,910.
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