Novak Djokovic announced yesterday that he will not be participating in the 2024 edition of the Nitto ATP Finals. The champion of the last two editions will miss the most important event in the ATP calendar, a news not very surprising given the clues that had leaked in recent weeks.

Already in September – during the Davis Cup tie against Greece in Belgrade – the Serbian legend had revealed that the ATP Finals were no longer a goal at this point in his career and he would not make much effort to grab the qualification. Although he didn’t play much in this last part of the season, Nole qualified the same way thanks to the final reached at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai last month. After losing to Jannik Sinner in the penultimate Masters 1000 of 2024, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was one of the protagonists of the ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia.

A few days later, the 37-year-old from Belgrade announced his forfeit for the Rolex Paris Masters where he was due to defend his title in 2023. When he was spotted in Maldives on holiday with his family, almost everyone gave for certain his forfeit in Turin. Novak waited until the last minute to announce his decision, although it was clear that he had no intention of playing in the ATP Finals.

Nole cited an injury

Djokovic explained his absence in Turin by citing an injury, an explanation that many people did not believe. The former world number 1 still wears his knee brace and has also complained of some shoulder problems at the last events he attended, but honestly they didn’t seem to be very serious injuries.

Nole was able to play the controversial exhibition in Saudi Arabia and did not seem physically disabled. Everyone knows that his goals are only the 4 Grand Slam tournaments at this point in his career and it would probably have been wiser to announce his intentions earlier.

His decision to skip the ATP Finals immediately triggered a chain reaction. Players like Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov have pulled out of this week’s tournaments, creating a serious damage to the ATP in Metz and Belgrade. There is no doubt that 2024 marked the end of an era. Andy Murray has retired during the summer, while Rafa Nadal is preparing to say goodbye to his professional tour at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

For the first time since 2017 and second time since 2011, Novak has not won a single Grand Slam title in an entire season. The men’s tour has passed into the hands of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are the two best players in the world at this time and have won 4 Major titles this year.

Djokovic wants another Slam

During an interview with ‘Tennis Majors’, ATP legend Goran Ivanisevic discussed Djokovic’s current status: “I can’t know if he is motivated and how much, but the moment he decides to play, it means that he is eager to play. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are convincingly above the rest of the field, but I put Novak in the group with them, because when Novak really wants to play, he is still the best in the world, in my opinion.

The other thing is how much he wants to play and when – we saw at the Olympics – if he goes out on the court like that, then he can still win a Slam. Also, it depends on his ranking and the draw, when does he need to face Sinner or Alcaraz, lots of factors, but can Novak do it? Yes, he can. You can never write him off, I would never do that.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is no longer the ATP tour’s reference player and will have to make a great effort to add another Major title to his board. The 37-year-old from Belgrade will try to claim his 11th title at the Australian Open next January, where he will also have to hope for a favorable draw.

Due to his absence from the ATP Finals, the Serbian ace will lose several positions in the ATP ranking and this will have repercussions even for 2025. Djokovic has repeatedly said that he is not interested in the ATP ranking at this point in his career, but drawing has become critical given his current status. Facing Sinner or Alcaraz already in the round of 16 at Melbourne Park would be a big problem for the former world number 1, whose gap from these two players has increased in recent months.