Mar 30, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) smiles after winning a point against Jakub Mensik (CZE)(not pictured) in the men's singles championship of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Why Has Novak Djokovic Pulled Out of the Rome Masters?

Novak Djokovic's French Open preparations in serious doubt following withdrawal from the Rome Masters!

Following a shock loss to Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the round of 64 clash at the Madrid Masters, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia have confirmed that Novak Djokovic will not be competing in this year’s Rome Masters 1000 tournament, scheduled to take place in the first week of May. The reason behind the Serb pulling out of the last major tournament before the French Open is not known yet, but the World Number 5 has been struggling lately.

Novak Djokovic has announced he won't take part to #IBI25.

See you next year, Nole ❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/UfRmUck5kc
— Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) April 29, 2025

The ambiguity surrounding Djokovic’s decision also raises concerns about his participation in the year’s second Grand Slam at Roland Garros. Having crashed out early in both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open, Djokovic’s bid for yet another slam on the red clay has taken a massive step back as the Rome Masters would have been his last chance prior to the big event.

Since there are no details for why the Serbian has withdrawn from the Rome Masters, one can only speculate that there might be a minor injury concern. Djokovic could be intending on getting fit leading up to the French Open in his bid to claim a fourth title on the Parisian Clay.

The 37-year-old is getting there in terms of age and while he is still playing well at the highest level of the sport, his body has taken a lot of abuse. It is common practice for athletes to prioritize events when it comes to the fag end of their career, and that could simply be the case here.

Also Read: Madison Keys vs. Iga Swiatek Head-to-Head Record, Preview and Prediction for WTA Madrid Open 2025 Quarterfinals

Djokovic Struggles in 2025

The World number 5 started the season in decent form, making it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open, but had to retire after just one set due to a muscle tear in his match against Alexander Zverev.

However, since then, it has been anything but smooth sailing for the 24-time Grand Slam Champion. Djokovic lost in the first match of both the Qatar Open and at Indian Wells before regaining some form to lose in the finals of the Miami Open.

The transition to clay, however, has once again seen him struggle with back-to-back opening round losses, which is a concerning sign as we head near the end of the clay court season.

"It's worrying for me, as a Novak fan" 😕

Jim Courier and the #TCLive crew show concern for Novak Djokovic's recent Rome withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/lFz2jMmzJW
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 29, 2025

Only time can tell just how worrisome the issue at hand for Djokovic truly is, but with the looks of things, the signs are not good at the moment and it wouldn’t be wrong to think that maybe the end is near for yet another sensational tennis player on the men’s tour.

Novak Djokovic

Rome Masters

Tennis

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!