22 April 2023 , 13:39
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World number one Novak Djokovic has followed Rafael Nadal's lead by pulling out of the Madrid Open.
Djokovic has announced his decision after being beaten in the quarter-finals of the Srpska Open earlier this week. He recently admitted his right elbow was "not in an ideal condition".
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has won in Madrid on three occasions in the past. He reached the semi-finals last season before being beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
The news comes as a blow to the Madrid Open, which has already lost Nadal. The Spaniard has not recovered from a leg injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic has struggled for form recently, with his defeat by his Serbian compatriot Dusan Lajovic, the world No70, at the Srpska Open coming after he was knocked out by Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo.
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The 35-year-old is building up to the second Major of the year - the French Open - which starts on May 28. "I hope to get into tip-top shape for Roland Garros. I want to play my best tennis there," Djokovic said earlier this week.
"The conditions are totally different there in comparison with Monte Carlo and Banja Luka. There are still several weeks to practice and play. In the previous seasons, I've always had an unsatisfying and slow start on clay, and then played better tennis in the final stages. I hope to repeat the same pattern this year."
Novak Djokovic has struggled for form recently (KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)Nadal has also been struggling. “The last few weeks and months have been difficult,” he said in a video published on social media. “As you know, I picked up a significant injury in Australia, to my psoas. First it was going to be a six to eight-week recovery period, we’re in the 14th week and the reality is that the situation is not what we expected.
“In any case, I have followed the medical advice but the progress has not been as they told us at the beginning. We find ourselves in a difficult situation, the weeks are passing by.
"I was excited to play in the most important tournaments in my career such as Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros. So far, I’ve missed Monte-Carlo and Barcelona and I also wanted to tell you that I won’t be able to be in Madrid.”