Novak Djokovic surprised his fans with a beautiful message, following the news regarding his failure to participate in the Paris Rolex Masters 2024. The news was released two days ago, but the Serbian champion – after officially canceling the French event – wanted to write a message to his fans opening up to the possibility of playing the tournament next year.
Through a story published on his Instagram account, Djokovic recalled the historic victories achieved in the tournament and wrote:
“Unfortunately I will not play the Rolex Paris Masters this year. I apologize to everyone who was hoping to see me play there. I wish all the players, sponsors, organizers and fans a great tournament. I have so many great memories after winning the title seven times and I hope to return next year.”
A choice that sends a clear signal in view of this end of the season. Regardless of what the Race to Turin will say, Nole could in fact skip the Nitto ATP Finals even if – still very likely – he qualifies. Djokovic is currently sixth in the Race and his direct rivals are not, at least so far, getting great results and convincing. Casper Ruud, for example, left Basel immediately. This week, only Andrey Rublev can try to surpass him by raising the level at the Swiss Indoors Basel.
In the meantime, there is now less than a week to go and the last ATP Masters 1000 of the season will officially begin.
Like every year, this is an important tournament for those trying to collect the last points for those who want to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin while instead there are those who arrive in less than optimal conditions after a season full of commitments. Also for this reason, Paris-Bercy has often been the tournament that has seen the most surprises over the years even if last year it was Nole who won. The Serbian champion ended the season in style, crowning a record-breaking year with the victory in Paris-Bercy and the ATP Finals. Now it will probably not be like that.
But, as mentioned, Sportklub had previously reported that Djokovic had decided not to participate in the French tournament, thus losing the 1000 points earned last year. Then, in fact, it was Nole himself who confirmed the news through the Instagram stories that I reported above. At the same time, it must be reiterated that the Serbian has repeatedly stressed that the ranking no longer matters to him and that the tennis player has other priorities. The 24-time Slam champion has decided to skip the French tournament and focus directly on finishing the season in the best possible way, as confirmed by Serbian journalist Sasa’ Ozmo. Paris Bercy will not have the defending champion and Nole will try to finish the season in Turin in the best possible way, where he will most likely be among the 8 candidates for the final victory of the tournament, or he will show up directly in 2025 for the start of the new season, which, as always, will officially start with the Australian swing.
A few days ago, however, Nole, at the Six Kings Slam, had discussed many topics and had nice words for his rival Rafael Nadal, at the end of his career.
“I thank those who organized this event, it was an extraordinary experience. Thank you for inviting us, we played in front of a great crowd. Thank you for the respect and support you gave us. Rafa, I don’t know where to start. I go back to the first match I played against you in Paris in 2006. Who would have said that after 20 years we would still be here. You are an incredible athlete and person, I respect you a lot,” he said.
Wishing our 7-time champion to be back on court soon đ #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/PKdhe8y4kG
â ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) October 23, 2024
Carlitos Alcaraz also shared beautiful words for the Austrian: “I had the opportunity to see him play a lot, we shared some tournaments. I remember when I played my first ATP competition in Rio 2020, there I was able to train with him. I was super excited that day, I had seen him win against the best, triumph in prestigious events, have a great career. In fact, my little brother was a big fan of Dominic, he plays with his racket instead of mine, so I always watched his matches. Many times I heard my brother say: I want to play like him, with the same racket and the same style. In my family we have a great respect for him.”
The Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov also joined the chorus of those praising Thiem’s ââcareer: “Dominic was a very special player for me. There was a time when he made me improve in different aspects of my game, given his results and also the fact that he played with a one-handed backhand. Especially on clay, where he made me work hard to play well over the years. We faced each other several times, I wish him the best because he is a fantastic guy. Always humble, kind, the truth is that I have beautiful memories together.”
