Novak Djokovic set to miss Paris Masters and risks ATP Finals qualification

Novak Djokovic has reportedly withdrawn from the Paris Masters, with the seven-time champion set to miss the tournament for the first time since 2020.

Djokovic was in action last week at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, finishing in third place after beating Rafael Nadal in their final ever meeting against one another.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s next official event was set to be at the Paris Masters, that gets underway next week.

However, this seems to not be the case any longer, with Djokovic set to miss the tournament in the French capital for only the third time in 19 years.

Djokovic has won the Paris Masters title on a record seven occasions, including last year when he beat Grigor Dimitrov in the final.

As a result of Djokovic’s expected withdrawal, this puts the Serbian’s ATP Finals qualification at risk, given that he currently sits in sixth with players chasing him down in the latter stages of the season.

Although, this may not be of concern to Djokovic, who revealed last month that the year-end tournament was no longer a goal of his.

“Torino is not my goal at all, to be honest, I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings etc,” Djokovic told reporters in Belgrade. “As far as I am concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career.

‘Whether I will play other tournaments this year or in the future, I can’t say right now. My main priorities are playing for the national team and slams, everything else is less important.”

If Djokovic does end his season and miss both the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, then he could drop outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018, with 2300 points coming off his ranking.

Inside the baseline…

Given Novak Djokovic’s recent comments about prioritising Grand Slams and the Davis Cup, this cannot be a huge shock. However, the Paris Masters have always been one of Djokovic’s preferred tour events, given that he has only missed two of the past 19 tournaments, so this really shows where his motivation is at right now. Despite missing this event, Djokovic will probably still qualify for the ATP Finals with his current points scored this year, so it will be interesting to see if he chooses to play in Turin.

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Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters

Djokovic has won more than double the titles of any other singles player at the Paris Masters, but will not be there for the tournament’s final time in the Bercy Arena.

Here are all of the finals that Djokovic has won at the tournament, dating back to 2009:

2009 – Djokovic beat Gael Monfils, 6-2 5-7 7-6(3)

2013 – Djokovic beat David Ferrer, 7-5 7-5

2014 – Djokovic beat Milos Raonic, 6-2 6-3

2015 – Djokovic beat Andy Murray, 6-2 6-4

2019 – Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov, 6-3 6-4

2021 – Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev, 4-6 6-3 6-3

2023 – Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4 6-3

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐤 𝐃𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟗

A young Novak Djokovic lifts the trophy at the Rolex Paris Masters, marking the first of many more to come ☝️#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/4E3eNQwqLQ

— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 11, 2024

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