Reason why Novak Djokovic disrespected everyone

Novak Djokovic announced that he will not be participating in the 2024 edition of the Nitto ATP Finals. The champion of the last two editions will miss the most important event in the ATP calendar, a news not very surprising given the clues that had leaked in recent weeks.

Already in September – during the Davis Cup tie against Greece in Belgrade – the Serbian legend had revealed that the ATP Finals were no longer a goal at this point in his career and he would not make much effort to grab the qualification. Although he didn’t play much in this last part of the season, Nole qualified the same way thanks to the final reached at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai last month. After losing to Jannik Sinner in the penultimate Masters 1000 of 2024, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was one of the protagonists of the ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia.

A few days later, the 37-year-old from Belgrade announced his forfeit for the Rolex Paris Masters where he was due to defend his title in 2023. When he was spotted in Maldives on holiday with his family, almost everyone gave for certain his forfeit in Turin. Novak waited until the last minute to announce his decision, although it was clear that he had no intention of playing in the ATP Finals.

Nole cited an injury
Djokovic explained his absence in Turin by citing an injury, an explanation that many people did not believe. The former world number 1 still wears his knee brace and has also complained of some shoulder problems at the last events he attended, but honestly they didn’t seem to be very serious injuries.

Nole was able to play the controversial exhibition in Saudi Arabia and did not seem physically disabled. Everyone knows that his goals are only the 4 Grand Slam tournaments at this point in his career and it would probably have been wiser to announce his intentions earlier.

His decision to skip the ATP Finals immediately triggered a chain reaction. Players like Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov have pulled out of this week’s tournaments, creating a serious damage to the ATP in Metz and Belgrade. There is no doubt that 2024 marked the end of an era. Andy Murray has retired during the summer, while Rafa Nadal is preparing to say goodbye to his professional tour at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

For the first time since 2017 and second time since 2011, Novak has not won a single Grand Slam title in an entire season. The men’s tour has passed into the hands of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who are the two best players in the world at this time and have won 4 Major titles this year.