(Madrid) Serbian Novak Djokovic will miss the Madrid Tennis Open next week, reportedly due to a fitness issue.
Event officials confirmed Djokovic’s withdrawal on Saturday.
Although no specific reason has been given for the withdrawal, the world number one recently mentioned problems with his elbow, although he had played down the extent of the problem.
Earlier this week, Spaniard Rafael Nadal also announced his withdrawal from the Madrid Open due to a hip injury that has plagued him since the Australian Open last January.
Nadal and Djokovic share the No. 1 spot with 22 career Grand Slam men’s singles titles.
The French Open, second of the four Grand Slam tournaments on the calendar, will begin on May 28.
Aged 35, Djokovic was eliminated early in his last two tournaments. He first lost to Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16 of the Monte-Carlo Open on April 13.
Then on Friday, he lost to compatriot Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals of the Omnium Srpska. It was Djokovic’s first loss to another player from Serbia in 11 years.
The Madrid Open, a tournament that Djokovic has won three times, begins on Monday.