Why Novak Djokovic may regret his decision to pull out of another tournament

Novak Djokovic gestures during the Monte Carlo Masters.

It is no secret that Novak Djokovic is struggling to find the motivation to play tournaments other than Grand Slams at this stage of his career, yet his decision to pull out of the Madrid Open will raise more questions.

Few were surprised when the news dropped that Djokovic had pulled out of a tournament he had not prioritised in recent years, but this may have been a moment for the soon-to-be former world No 1 to change his schedule and step away from his plan.

Djokovic has played just four tournaments in 2024 and heading into May, that is a modest total.

He has made no secret of his desire to trim down his workload and focus on adding to his record-breaking Grand Slam title haul, yet that plan is laced with peril.

Playing fewer events will limit wear and tear on Djokovic’s ageing body and will give him the best chance to be fit to play in the tournaments that matter to him, but the evidence of what we have seen this year suggests his plan is no longer working.

Not only has Djokovic not won a tournament in 2024, he hasn’t even made a final and that is something of a rarity for a player who is used to having a couple of titles under his belt at this stage of the clay court season.

“I’m used to really high standards in terms of expectations of the results, so not having a title is, maybe comparing to the last 15 years, not a great season at all,” said Djokovic after his defeat against Casper Ruud in Monte Carlo.

“I had semis of Australia, semis here. I only played three tournaments this year, so of course, you know, it’s normal to expect that you have some seasons where you don’t start well, and this is the one.

“Hopefully I can pick up, in terms of results, I can build from here, because, you know, I played some good tennis. Hopefully in the next tournaments, I’ll be able to play even better.”

Former world No 1 Andy Roddick is among those who have suggested Djokovic needs to play more if he wants to stay competitive in Grand Slam events, so not playing in Madrid would go against this advice.

“He needs to play more tennis going into Roland Garros. He knows better than anyone how to manage this part of the year,” said Roddick on his Served podcast, before he added this caveat.

“He has slowly ramped up the clay court season to get to a Roland Garros title, so I’m not worried about him.”

Djokovic is likely to play at the Rome Masters next month, but his lack of matches will be a talking point when he gets to Roland Garros.

When he was at his dominant best, skipping tournaments may not have been such a big story, but Djokovic is struggling to beat players he used to dismiss with ease and that is why questions will be asked.

As was the case when he pulled out of the Miami Open in March, Djokovic may well feel spending more time with his young family is preferable to playing in Madrid.

Yet the tennis world feels like it is moving on without him, with young guns like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz gaining momentum at a time when Djokovic is stuck in neutral.

Only a fool would suggest Djokovic’s days of winning Grand Slam titles are over as this great champion is far too good to be written off after a curious opening to his year.

Yet with each passing week that Djokovic opts to stay away from the court, doubts over his desire and commitment to push for more success will continue to be raised.