Spanish outlet Marca disclosed that Novak Djokovic didn’t have the intention to play in Madrid and the Serbian sensation confirmed the rumor.
The world no.1 was the defending champion in Spain, and he played only 5 competitive matches in more than 2 months. In addition, Novak’s performance was below-par according to his amazing standards in Monte Carlo and Belgrade. In France, he lost in the 3rd round while in the home tournament he reached only the semifinal. Therefore, there are some legit doubts that he may still struggle from a physical point of view.
Djokovic is scheduled to play in Rome (10th of May) and in Belgrade (24th of May) right before the French Open. The impression is that Novak’s schedule is still quite fluid.
Novak Djokovic commented:
“Sorry that I won’t be able to travel to Madrid this year and meet all my fans. It’s been two years already, quite a long time. Hope to see you all next year!”
With Djokovic’s defection, Rafael Nadal will be seeded no.1 and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be seeded at last no.4. Djokovic won the tournament 3 times in 2011, 2016, and 2019.
Novak Djokovic in 2021
Currently the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 24th of April when he was overcome by world no.27 Aslan Karatsev 7-5 4-6 6-4 in the semifinal in Belgrade (draw).
Presently, during this year Novak has an overall 12-2 match record. Djokovic clinched 1 title at the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal in 2021
Ranked world no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 25th of April when he beat world no.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5 in the final in Barcelona to win his 87th career title.
At the moment, during this season Nadal has managed to achieve a 11-2 record. This year, Rafael won 1 tournament in Barcelona.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal fought against each other 56 times. Their current head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they squared off, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final in Paris (French Open) in October 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
