Novak Djokovic withdraws from ATP Shanghai Masters 2023

The ATP Tour will return to China for the first time since 2019.

The current World No. 1, Novak Djokovic unexpectedly withdrew from the ATP Shanghai Masters 2023, shocking the tennis community. The schedule for the reigning US Open champion has been very hectic for the past few days. Although the 24-time Grand Slam champion did not give a solid reason for his withdrawal, he apologized to his fans through his official social media account about not attending one of his "favourite tournaments" this season. 

"Over the years, some of the best support I receive anywhere in the world is in China. Shanghai has always been one of my favorite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my #NoleFam in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again," he stated in his X (formerly twitter) account.

Djokovic opted to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters 2023 after winning the US Open. After winning his 24th Grand Slam title, defeating Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic, the current No. 1 in the world, participated for Serbia in the Davis Cup. He has since opted against travelling to China. The tournament in China will kick off on October 2nd, and the Serbian who already had a very busy schedule this week stated that he would try to attend the event in future. 

The Serbian had previously stated that he will not be taking part in this year's Laver Cup (September 22–24) and that he would not be defending his title at the Astana Open in Kazakhstan (September 27). Also Djokovic is now scheduled to take a break for a few weeks before returning for the Paris Masters on October 30th. He will then participate in the ATP Finals, which concludes the current season, before focusing on the 2024 season and the Australian Open in January.

Meanwhile, the key players for the Shanghai Masters 2023 men's draw will be World No. 3 and US Open 2023 finalist Medvedev and Wimbledon Championships winner Carlos Alcaraz. Top 10 athletes, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas are also set to grace the competition.