Djokovic Withdraws from 2026 Monte Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, has withdrawn from the 2026 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, organizers announced on Friday, marking his first absence from the clay-court event since 2011. The tournament, set for April 5 to 12 at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Monaco, will proceed without the 38-year-old Serbian, who has won the title twice, in 2013 and 2015.

The withdrawal follows Djokovic's decision to skip the Miami Open due to a right shoulder injury. He has not competed since a three-set loss to Britain's Jack Draper in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells two weeks ago. During that match, Djokovic described intermittent pain in his serving arm, noting that it eased with activity but returned if he cooled down. Organizers confirmed the news via social media, stating, "Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament. We send him our best wishes and hope to see him back on court very soon."

Djokovic, currently ranked third in the ATP standings, entered the year strongly by reaching the Australian Open final, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. That run gave him a 7-2 record for the season so far, but injuries have limited his...