Earlier this yr, Novak Djokovic, 37, mentioned he plans to prioritize majors and country-based tournaments for the remainder of his profession. The 24-time main winner wasn’t kidding.
Djokovic formally withdrew from the year-ending ATP Finals on Tuesday regardless of qualifying for the match in Turin, Italy. Whereas the Serb cited an “ongoing damage” as the explanation for his withdrawal, one wonders if his feedback about choosing and selecting occasions performed a task in his determination. He also withdrew from the latest Paris Masters.
The withdrawal means the eight qualifiers for the 2024 ATP Finals are set. World No. 7 Casper Ruud, No. 8 Alex de Minaur and No. 9 Andrey Rublev will be a part of the already-qualified prime six of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic will end 2024 with only one title, the Paris Olympics, his fewest in a calendar yr since 2005. He may even end a season with out a main for the primary time since his injury-riddled 2017.
On paper, Djokovic (37-9 in 2024) had an underwhelming season by his requirements however checked off a big merchandise on his bucket checklist by clinching an Olympic gold medal. “The Joker” known as his triumph in Paris his “biggest sporting success” because it was the one match that eluded him throughout his storied profession spanning three a long time.
But, he fell wanting two different objects on his bucket checklist — a record-breaking twenty fifth grand slam and a a hundredth ATP title. He had several chances to tick off each marks in 2024, reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the Shanghai Masters, the place he fell to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, respectively, the 2 finest gamers on the earth.
Save for any damage setbacks, Djokovic will resume his pursuit of each milestones in 2025.
The one large hurdle Djokovic faces by skipping key ATP occasions just like the ATP Finals? He’ll doubtless begin 2025 ranked between sixth and ninth, that means he might run into Sinner or Alcaraz within the quarterfinals on the Australian Open as an alternative of the ultimate.
The trail to main No. 25 will get more durable as he cherry-picks occasions. However Djokovic — who has come again from two units all the way down to win 5 main titles in his profession — navigates adversity higher than any athlete within the twenty first century. It would not be smart to depend him out.
