Novak Djokovic releases statement after pulling out of Paris Masters | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he will not be playing at the Paris Masters, which could potentially signal the end of his season. The Serb, who will finish the year without a Grand Slam title to his name, confirmed the news with a short statement on Instagram.

He wrote: “Unfortunately I won’t be playing Paris Masters this year. Sorry to everyone who was hoping to see me play there.

“Wishing all the players, sponsors, organisers and fans a great tournament. I have a lot of memories winning seven titles there and hope to be back with you next year.”

Djokovic is the reigning Paris Masters champion, having beaten Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in last year’s final. His only title in 2024 came at the Olympics, when he finally ended his career-long wait for a gold medal with victory over Carlos Alcaraz.

The 37-year-old has been dethroned as the dominant force in tennis by Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open and the US Open. Djokovic managed to reach the Wimbledon final earlier this year but was swept aside in straight sets by Alcaraz.

He could still feature at the year-end ATP Finals, which will take place in Turin next month. He is currently sixth in the race for the eight-man field but could still be overtaken by several players between now and the start of the tournament.

It is not yet clear why Djokovic has decided to skip the Paris Masters, but he has previously admitted that he struggles to find the motivation to play in lesser events.

Speaking at the French Open earlier this year, he said: “It’s true that I’m focused pretty much solely on Grand Slams and Olympics this year and playing for my country, really. That’s something that really drives me the most today.

“The other tournaments, it’s not maybe sounding right, but these are huge tournaments, very important tournaments, tournaments that are part of the ATP Tour that I was part of and still am part of for so many years, and have been integral to my career and my success.

“But yeah, it is becoming a little bit more challenging for me to push myself every single tournament to be really at the top.”