Djokovic withdraws from Monte Carlo Masters amid injury concerns

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters , dealing another setback to the Serbian star’s preparations for the clay-court season as he continues to recover from a right shoulder injury .

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had already skipped the Miami Open earlier this month because of the same issue, and tournament organisers confirmed on Friday that the world No. 3 will not participate in the prestigious tournament in Monaco.

The Monte Carlo Masters , scheduled to be held from April 5 to April 12 , is the first major ATP Masters 1000 clay-court event of the European season and an important build-up tournament ahead of the French Open at Roland Garros .

In a brief message shared on Instagram, the Monte Carlo Masters organisers confirmed Djokovic’s withdrawal while wishing the veteran star a speedy recovery.

“We send him our best wishes and hope to see him back on court very soon,” the tournament said.

Although the organisers did not officially state the reason for the withdrawal, Djokovic’s absence is widely believed to be linked to the shoulder problem that forced him to miss the Miami Open, suggesting the Serbian great is taking extra time to regain full fitness.

The 38-year-old has not played since the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells , where he suffered a fourth-round defeat to Britain’s Jack Draper in a three-set contest two weeks ago. Djokovic has not yet commented publicly about the withdrawal on his social media channels.

His recent record at Monte Carlo has also been mixed. Last year he exited in the second round , losing to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo despite entering the tournament among the favourites.

With the clay-court season now underway, tennis fans will be watching closely to see when Djokovic returns to competitive action and how his recovery progresses ahead of the upcoming European clay tournaments and the French Open.