Bad news for all tennis fans in Rome: Record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will not take part in the Masters tournament in the eternal city.
The ATP Masters of Rome (May 7th to May 18th) takes place without Novak Djokovic. The organizers announced this on Tuesday. A specific reason for the cancellation of the Serbs was not specified. “Novak Djokovic has announced that he will not take part in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia,” says short message service X.
Instead of chasing his seventh tournament victory in Rome, the 37-year-old should now bundle his strength to be rested at the Grand Slam in Paris (from May 25th). “I want to show my best tennis at the Grand Slams,” Djokovic recently said in Madrid, where he surprisingly lost his opening match against the Italian Matteo Arnaldi after 1:42 hours.
In Monte Carlo, too, it was previously over after only one game, where the Serb, Serb set on number three, lost in two sets (3: 6, 4: 6) against the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, which will also be missing in Rome.
Djokovic before “mental challenge”
The 24-fold Grand Slam winner did not win a single tournament in 2025, his last big triumph was to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games last summer. At the end of March, Djokovic had reached the final at Miami in Miami, otherwise he divided regularly in the first rounds.
“This is my new reality,” says the “Djoker” last: “I have to think about how I win one or two matches and I am not allowed to worry about how I reach the late phases of a tournament.” This new reality is also “mentally a big challenge”.
The former dominator knows that he is currently in sight in Roland Garros, the place of his Olympic success, his 100th tournament victory at the moment: “I’m not sure, but I’m going to give everything.”