Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this year's Miami Open, but that won't have any dire consequences for his No. 1 ranking.
The Serbian star was slated as the top seed in the second Masters 1000 tournament, which will commence on March 20th. Djokovic was part of a 96-man field that also included rivals, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic, a six-time champion in Florida, will likely issue an official announcement for his absence, which has been confirmed by a reliable source. His first trip to Miami since 2019 will now have to wait for at least another 12 months.
The surprise news comes on the back of a disappointing third-round exit from Indian Wells, where Djokovic was the top seed and one the favorites to win the BNP Paribas Open but suffered a three-set defeat to Italian lucky loser Luca Nardi.
Djokovic did not try to find excuses in the aftermath of his shock loss but was critical of his performance, which he admitted was "really bad." There is no need to panic yet because, historically, he has been in this situation before.
The 36-year-old currently leads the ATP rankings and is assured of remaining there at least until mid-April. Djokovic is not losing any points from the Sunshine Swing because he did not compete there in 2023.
With 9,725 points to his name, even if one of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner completed the Sunshine Double, they would still trail Djokovic in the points tally.
Alcaraz drops 1,360 points in March and can only increase his tally to 9,445 points. Sinner, meanwhile, drops 720 points in March and can take his points total to 9,550 by winning both Indian Wells and Miami.
With the World No. 1 ranking out of reach for Djokovic's rivals, Sinner and Alcaraz will battle for the no. 2 spot when they face off in a blockbuster semifinal in the desert.