Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Paris Masters tournament and expressed hope to return to the French capital next year.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Djokovic wrote, as quoted by the ATP, “Unfortunately, I will not be playing at the @rolexparismasters this year. Sorry to everyone who was hoping to see me play there. Wishing all the players, sponsors, organisers, and fans a great tournament.”
“I have a lot of great memories from winning seven titles there and hope to be back with you next year,” he added.
As Djokovic continues his pursuit of a 100th tour-level title, it’s noteworthy that he has won seven of his record-breaking 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles at Paris-Bercy. He holds an impressive 50-9 win-loss record in the tournament and has triumphed in 18 of his last 19 matches at the event.
The 37-year-old has a season win-loss record of 37-9, with the highlight of his year coming in Paris when he defeated Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz to secure the Olympic gold medal. Djokovic currently ranks sixth in the ATP Live Race to Turin and remains in contention for a direct qualification to the season-ending ATP Finals.
Earlier in October, world number one Jannik Sinner delivered a standout performance to defeat Djokovic and claim his seventh title of 2024 at the Shanghai Masters. Sinner triumphed 7-6(4), 6-3, becoming the first player since Andy Murray in 2016 to win more than six titles in a single calendar year. He clinched the pivotal first set by improving his tie-break record to 24-8 for the year, before racing to a commanding 4-1 lead early in the second set.