Novak Djokovic ‘might skip French Open’ after injury – Sports News
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Miami Open resulting from a shoulder injury, raising recent questions on his schedule heading into the clay season and even whether or not he’ll compete on the French Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had been anticipated to play on the ATP Masters 1000 occasion after showing at Indian Wells, however match organizers confirmed that Djokovic pulled out citing a proper shoulder concern.
Djokovic’s resolution comes shortly after a dramatic loss to Britain’s Jack Draper at Indian Wells, one of probably the most aggressive matches of the early ATP season. The defeat ended his run in California and now leaves the 38-year-old with a 7-2 report thus far in 2026 after additionally reaching the Australian Open closing earlier within the 12 months.
His withdrawal has sparked debate amongst analysts about what it means for his preparation forward of the clay swing. Speaking on Sky Sports after the Indian Wells closing, tennis legend Martina Navratilova mentioned Djokovic’s absence from Miami might make it more durable for him to construct momentum forward of the most important tournaments.
“The weather is causing havoc with the tournament and it’s really too bad, Novak last year’s finalist and the greatest, not being able to play,” Navratilova mentioned. “We did not see anything going on with his shoulder here but the balls and everything is heavier in Miami, so who knows? Hopefully everything will be okay and we will see him soon again.”
Navratilova additionally prompt that Djokovic might need more match play to present himself the best probability of including one other main title to his report.
“I think he needs to have more matches before the big ones,” she mentioned. “I think he has pulled back so much that even though he is as solid as he is I think he needs a bit more match play to put yourself out there, but he knows better than me.”
Former British No. 1 Tim Henman echoed related ideas, noting that Djokovic has change into more and more selective together with his schedule in recent times as he prioritizes Grand Slam occasions.
“I don’t think it’s a massive surprise,” Henman mentioned. “He is very selective as to where he plays and dips in and out.”
“I will be very interested to see how much he plays on the clay,” Henman added. “That is the most physically demanding surface. Will he play something before the French? Will he play the French at all? Will he just focus on the grass? Who knows.”
Djokovic’s withdrawal may have fast penalties within the ATP rankings. Because he reached the Miami Open closing in 2025, he’s set to lose 650 rating factors, which can drop him out of the world’s high three when the rankings replace later this month.
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