Novak Djokovic Withdraws From Rome Masters

Novak Djokovic has announced his withdrawal from the 2025 Rome Masters, a key tournament before the Roland Garros and also Djokovic’s most successful clay event. This will be the first time Djokovic is not playing this event since his first appearance in 2007. No specific reason for the withdrawal has been disclosed by Djokovic which will likely create speculation about physical, mental, or scheduling considerations.

The Serbian is a six-time champion in Rome and has historically used the tournament to fine-tune his game, with notable success in 2016 and 2021 when he reached the Rome final and went on to win Roland Garros. Given that Djokovic played in Madrid for the first time since 2022 – losing in his opener – many had expected him to play in Rome, where the conditions are most similar to those at Roland Garros and where he has an excellent record.

Djokovic has lost three matches in a row – albeit the first in that sequence was a narrow defeat in the final in Miami – with both of his matches on clay so far in 2025 ending in straight sets to Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo and then Matteo Arnaldi in Madrid. He has said multiple times in the past that it takes him some time to get to his best level on clay, raising questions about whether he will be match sharp in Paris.

At nearly 38 years of age, the five-set format at Roland Garros, where he logged over nine hours in two matches in 2024, poses a significant physical challenge. Without Rome to measure his fitness, he risks entering Paris underprepared or overly cautious, potentially impacting his ability to endure long matches against younger, fresher opponents.

This withdrawal will also see Djokovic miss out on a top-four seeding at Roland Garros, meaning he can face one of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev as early as the quarterfinal, which could impact his chances of progressing further – though he may be pleased just to reach the last eight given his recent form. Last year, Djokovic lost early in Rome, but had a good run in Monte Carlo and played in Geneva one week before the Slam. As a result, the Serbian may opt to play either in Hamburg or Geneva to get some more match practice before the second Slam of the year, but nothing can be said for sure after his surprising withdrawal from the Rome Masters.