Earlier this year, Novak Djokovic, 37, said he plans to prioritize majors and country-based tournaments for the rest of his career. The 24-time major winner wasn’t kidding.
Djokovic officially withdrew from the year-ending ATP Finals on Tuesday despite qualifying for the tournament in Turin, Italy. While the Serb cited an “ongoing injury” as the reason for his withdrawal, one wonders if his comments about picking and choosing events played a role in his decision. He also withdrew from the recent Paris Masters.
The withdrawal means the eight qualifiers for the 2024 ATP Finals are set. World No. 7 Casper Ruud, No. 8 Alex de Minaur and No. 9 Andrey Rublev will join the already-qualified top six of Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic will finish 2024 with just one title, the Paris Olympics, his fewest in a calendar year since 2005. He will also finish a season without a major for the first time since his injury-riddled 2017.
On paper, Djokovic (37-9 in 2024) had an underwhelming season by his standards but checked off a significant item on his bucket list by clinching an Olympic gold medal. “The Joker” called his triumph in Paris his “biggest sporting success” since it was the only tournament that eluded him across his storied career spanning three decades.
Yet, he fell short of two other items on his bucket list — a record-breaking 25th grand slam and a 100th ATP title. He had several chances to tick off both marks in 2024, reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the Shanghai Masters, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, respectively, the two best players in the world.
Save for any injury setbacks, Djokovic will resume his pursuit of both milestones in 2025.
The one big hurdle Djokovic faces by skipping key ATP events like the ATP Finals? He will likely start 2025 ranked between sixth and ninth, meaning he could run into Sinner or Alcaraz in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open instead of the final.
The path to major No. 25 will get tougher as he cherry-picks events. But Djokovic — who has come back from two sets down to win five major titles in his career — navigates adversity better than any athlete in the 21st century. It wouldn’t be wise to count him out.