Novak Djokovic has announced his withdrawal from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Djokovic, who fell one win short of completing a calendar-year grand slam when he was beaten by Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open, confirmed his decision on social media.
“I am sorry I won’t get to see my fans in Indian Wells and play in the desert, my favourite place to go,” the world No 1, a five-time champion at the event in California, wrote on social media. “I hope to see you next year.”
In the aftermath of his defeat in New York, Djokovic spoke of the mental and emotional toll his tilt at the grand slam had taken, expressing relief that it was all over. Speculation had been mounting in his native Belgrade that he would not make his scheduled trip to the US, after sources close to the player revealed he had yet to return to the practice court.
Djokovic becomes the latest marquee name to pull out of the event, which will begin on Monday 4 October after it was moved from its traditional March slot due to concerns about Covid-19.
“We are disappointed that Novak will not be able to join us at the BNP Paribas Open this fall,” said Tommy Haas, the tournament director and former world No 2. “We hope to see him back in Tennis Paradise next March to contend for a record-setting sixth title in the desert.”
The absence of Djokovic represents a further blow for the tournament, which has already been hit by the withdrawals of Ashleigh Barty, the women’s world No 1, as well as former champions Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both recovering from injury, the so-called “fifth slam” will be without a member of the big three for the first time since 2000.
The event will be bolstered, however, by the appearance of Emma Raducanu, the US Open champion. The British teenager, whose ranking was too low to qualify when the entry list was first announced, has accepted a wild card.
Djokovic’s decision to skip the event offers further evidence of his shifting priorities after spending a record 340 weeks as men’s No 1. Were Medvedev to win in Indian Wells and then go on to claim the ATP Finals title in November, he could conceivably overtake Djokovic as the world’s top-ranked player.
However, the Serb has repeatedly emphasised that grand slams are the priority at this stage of his career, and winning the 21st major that would pull him clear of Federer and Nadal on the all-time list of men’s grand slam champions would no doubt be of greater significance to him than breaking Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks at No 1.