One of the biggest stories at the 2024 Paris Masters this week is not who is there, but who is not. According to Jovica Ilic of Tennis World on Monday, world number four Novak Djokovic, the 24-time major champion, and 40-time Masters 1000 series champion, has decided not to compete in the Paris Indoor tennis tournament this year even though he is the defending champion. Djokovic apparently is on vacation in Maldives.
Record seven Paris Masters titles
Djokovic has the record for the most Paris Masters Indoor titles of all-time with seven. In the final, he has previously beaten Gael Monfils of France (6-2, 5-7, 7-6) in 2009, David Ferrer of Spain (7-5, 7-5) in 2013, Milos Raonic of Canada (6-2, 6-3) in 2014, Andy Murray of Great Britain (6-2, 6-4) in 2015, Denis Shapovalov of Canada (6-3, 6-4) in 2019, Daniil Medvedev of Russia (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) in 2021, and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria (6-4, 6-3) in 2024.
Olympic Champion
In 2024, Djokovic became an Olympic gold medalist for the first time in his career. He defeated 2024 French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain the final 7-6, 7-6, Djokovic won the first set tie break convincingly 7-3, and clobbered Alcaraz 7-2 in the second set tiebreak. It was the fourth time in seven meetings Djokovic has beaten Alcaraz. Djokovic’s three prior wins came in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open (6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1), in the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final (5-7, 7-6, 7-6), and the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Finals (6-3, 6-2). Interestingly, the Olympic men’s tennis tournament is the only tennis tournament Djokovic has won in 2024.
Will Djokovic be in the 2024 ATP Finals?
There is no guarantee Djokovic will be in the 2024 ATP Finals. In the race for Turin, Djokovic is currently sixth with 3910 points. He is behind Janik Sinner of Italy, Alcaraz, Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev of Germany, who have already qualified. Tennis players still battling for the final four spots in Italy are Djokovic, Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dimitrov, Norway’s Casper Rudd, Russia’s Andrey Rublev, and Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
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