What next for Djokovic after Paris withdrawal?

Without giving an explicit reason, Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the upcoming Paris Masters creates more ambiguity in terms of his future plans.

The 38-year-old Serb suffered a foot injury at his most recent ATP match, the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to Valentin Vacherot, a qualifier, in the semi-finals.

Last week at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, Djokovic had to stop playing Taylor Fritz.

The 24-time major champion announced on Tuesday that he would not compete in the Paris Masters, the final ATP 1000 match of the year that would begin the following week.

Djokovic expressed regret on social media that he would not compete at the Paris Masters this year.

Djokovic made a statement in Saudi that he would skip Paris to potentially lengthen his season, but he did not provide any specific reason why he was not playing.

Djokovic’s main focus is appearing at an ATP 250 event in Athens, which his family moved from Belgrade to.

If his physical issues are too severe, it seems unlikely that he will miss a significant event with such an emotional pull.

The season-ending ATP Finals in Turin follow that.

Despite only appearing at 12 tournaments this year, Djokovic has already risen to third place in the rankings for men’s tennis, behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic, who has repeatedly stressed how important it is to preserve “history,” may choose to skip an event he has already won seven times.

Djokovic was unconcerned about his upcoming schedule after pulling out of the Saudi match.

The five-time world champion said, “Now it’s rest and really addresses some of the issues I have with my body.”

Djokovic’s aging body has proven to be unable to withstand the rigorous demands of winning the sport’s biggest prizes once again throughout the season.

He still competes against the majority of the ATP Tour’s technical talent, as evidenced by his recent ATP Tour semi-finals.

Three days after winning the Australian Open against Alcaraz while sidelined by a leg injury, Djokovic was unable to advance to the semi-finals of his match against Alexander Zverev.

He also advanced to the last four at Wimbledon and the French Open, but Sinner physically deteriorated.

Djokovic admitted at the US Open that he “ran out of gas” in the three-set defeat suffered by Alcaraz.

The main goal of his career’s twilight is to win a 25th major, clearing him of Australia’s Margaret Court as the only record holder.

His next major goal is to set that goal at the Slam in Melbourne, where he is already a record-holder for the previous 10-time men’s champion.