Novak Djokovic will not compete at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, the penultimate ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the season.
The 36-year-old had a stacked schedule over the past few weeks. First, he won the 2023 US Open, lifting his 24th Grand Slam title, and after a quick trip to Belgrade, where he celebrated with his countrymen, Djokovic traveled to Valencia, where he helped his country in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.
The Serbian succeeded on the mission to secure his country's spot in the Last 8 of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, and even after completing the task at hand, Djokovic elected to play one more match. The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion competed in doubles alongside Nikola Cacic, as the duo lost in the last match of the tie against the Czech Republic.
After that, Djokovic made sure not to get his program too busy, as he is one of the very few players missing from the 2023 China Open entry list. The first tournament that the Serb signed up for after that was the 2023 Shanghai Masters, but recently, he revealed that his participation was in doubt.
Like the rest of the players, Djokovic hasn't participated in Shanghai since 2019, when the event was last held, and back then, he reached the quarterfinals. Overall, the Serbian won four titles in 12 participations, making it one of his most successful ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
Yet, he won't add another title in 2023, as the four-time Shanghai Masters champion announced his withdrawal from the tournament, stating that he will miss his fans in China, but hopes to come back in the coming years.
"Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China. Shanghai has always been one of my favorite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again."
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