Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has decided to end his 2024 ATP tennis season early by announcing that he will not participate in the Masters 1000 tournament in Paris, which will take place starting October 28. Djokovic has expressed on several occasions his intention to focus his career on Grand Slam tournaments, relegating the importance of the world ranking and qualifying for the ATP Finals, where only the top eight players with the most points in the season qualify.
Djokovic's most recent achievement was winning the Olympic champion title at the Paris Games, defeating Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz in the final. This Olympic title allowed Djokovic to complete his trophy collection in his extensive tennis career. Despite the rumors regarding his absence in Paris, fans held out hope to see him compete, recalling the Masters tournament in Shanghai where there was also speculation about his retirement, but he ultimately reached the final, losing to current number 1, Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic's withdrawal from the Paris Masters complicates his situation in the ranking for the ATP Finals, as he currently holds the seventh position in the ranking known as the race. With his decision to skip this tournament, Djokovic risks being surpassed by his direct rivals such as Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alex De Minaur, which could leave him out of contention for the coveted Finals.
Although he has not publicly disclosed the reason for his withdrawal from Paris, Djokovic will lose the 1,000 points he was defending as the champion of the previous edition, which will drop him to fifth place in the world ranking. With this drop in the ranking, his return to the courts this season becomes unlikely for the Serbian, leaving uncertainty about his participation in the ATP Finals if he manages to qualify. As for ATP titles this year, Djokovic will end the season without having won any, a situation he will experience for the third time in his outstanding tennis career.