Not too surprisingly, Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday. Djokovic, who also didn’t play at last week’s Rolex Paris Masters, cited “an ongoing injury” for his absence. The 37-year-old Serb has not taken the court since the Shanghai Masters in early October, when he reached the final before falling to Jannik Sinner.
“It’s quite an honor to qualify for the @nittoatpfinals in Turin,” Djokovic wrote on social media, adding a praying hands emoji. “I was really looking forward to being there, but due to an 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!”
With the 24-time Grand Slam champion sidelined, the field of eight at the year-end championship is set. Taking their talents to Turin are Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur.
Ruud, Rublev, and De Minaur had not yet qualified prior to Djokovic’s announcement. That is why all three either were or still are playing this week. Ruud and Rublev are in Metz, while De Minaur was the top seed in Belgrade but immediately withdrew following the Djokovic news. Rublev was already on the court on Tuesday afternoon and defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(3), 7-5 in the Metz second round.
Glad that Demon got in….but Carlos wins it!