Novak Djokovic will not play in the 2024 Madrid Open but will keep the World No. 1 ranking even after the conclusion of the tournament.
This year's Madrid Open will begin on April 24th and will once again operate over a two-week period, culminating with the singles final on Sunday, May 5th.
Djokovic was aiming to bounce back from his Monte Carlo semifinal defeat to Casper Ruud, only for his withdrawal to be confirmed by the tennis media on Saturday. No reason has been given for his absence thus far.
The Serbian star has maintained a stranglehold on the men's World No. 1 spot despite surrendering the Australian Open crown in the semifinal stage to Jannik Sinner. Two weeks ago, he became the oldest top-ranked man in ATP history, beating Roger Federer's previous record (36 years and 320 days).
This week, Djokovic is celebrating his 421st week as World No. 1, at least 111 more weeks than Federer, who is second in the all-time list among men. He doesn't defend many points before Roland Garros, so he is guaranteed to stay there at least for the next four weeks.
Djokovic faces an imminent threat from a red-hot Jannik Sinner, who might still replace him at the top by the end of the Italian Open in Rome. However, Sinner will most likely need to win both tournaments for that to happen.
After the Madrid Open, Djokovic's point total will remain unchanged, meaning he will have 9990 points, as he didn't play at the tournament last year, and that means that even second Carlos Alaraz with 8660 points prior to the tournament can't catch him, with 1000 points up for grabs in the Spanish capital.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion remains in control of his own destiny as the fight for the top seed status at Roland Garros hots up. Djokovic has previously said he would want another rematch against the young Italian.
But having skipped Madrid, the only possible clash between them before Paris could now happen in the Rome final. It will be interesting to hear when Djokovic addresses his fans about his upcoming schedule. He recently shared photos of himself on a sunkissed golf course.
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