World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Mutua Madrid Open as a concerning arm injury continues to hinder his progress.
Djokovic suffered a surprise defeat to Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals in Banja Luka as the Serb hasn’t been able to reach full fitness since returning in Monte-Carlo.
The Serb seemed to hurt his arm during one of his matches in Monte-Carlo last week and since then has suffered two defeats and continued to look uncomfortable in his other matches.
Despite the suspected injury, it was thought that Djokovic would compete at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid next week as he looks to continue his preparations for Roland Garros.
However it has been confirmed today that Djokovic will not compete in Madrid although the official reason is yet to be confirmed.
That means that Djokovic and Alcaraz’s wait to be in the same draw as each other will continue as the last time the duo competed in the same tournament was in Paris-Bercy last season.
It also means that there will be no member of the big three next week with Rafael Nadal also missing out due to injury.
The qualifying for the event is due to start on Monday with Carlos Alcaraz being the defending men’s champion.
