"In his Serena Williams era" - Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic citing fatigue to withdraw from 2023 Canadian Open

Tennis fans are not surprised with Novak Djokovic announcing his withdrawal from the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, Canada.

Djokovic, who recently lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon Championships final, cited fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal from the ATP Masters 1000 event.

The Serbian, who is a four-time Canadian Open winner (2007, 2011, 2012, and 2017), also stated his desire to return to the tournament in the future.

“After speaking with my team, we believe this is the right decision to take. I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for understanding this decision. I really hope I can return to Canada and Toronto in the coming years to play in front of great fans there," he said in a press release.

While several tennis fans expressed disappointment at this news, many were not surprised. One fan stated that Djokovic was following in Serena Williams' footsteps by taking part only in Grand Slams at this stage of his career.

"Djokovic is increasingly focused on just the Slams at this phase of his career, so not a surprise. In his Serena era," a fan opined.

Another fan stated that all big players seem to be pulling out of tournaments before or after Grand Slams. They bemoaned the decision stating that fans outside London, Paris, New York, and Melbourne are losing the opportunity to see them in action.

"Shocking…..all big names do this after Grand Slams or before them…..at the expense of the other tournaments….and their fans. Not everyone lives in London, Paris, New York or Melbourne," a tweet read.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

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Boris Becker's former coach believes Novak Djokovic loses motivation when not competing with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

(L-R): Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Boris Becker's former coach Gunter Bresnik believes that Novak Djokovic is losing motivation to compete due to the lack of competition with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal absent on the ATP tour.

While Federer retired from the sport last year, Nadal is dealing with injuries and is not expected to be in action this year. Additionally, the Spaniard had accounted that 2024 would be his last season on the ATP tour.

In their absence, Djokovic has dominated the tour this year. He won the Australian Open and then a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam at the French Open. He came close to winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, only to be stopped by World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

Bresnik believes that Djokovic did not play his best tennis against Alcaraz as he does not have a rivalry with the 20-year-old yet. He further stated that it was the 36-year-old's rivalry with the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray that pushed him to perform at his best over the years.

"Novak didn't play his best tennis the whole match. I have a theory that rivalries with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray led to his best performances. Not only in the match, but also at half time, during training or preparing for a match. And that rivalry does not exist with Alcaraz," Bresnik said.

"I have always said that Djokovic will lose motivation once there is no more constant competition with Nadal and Federer and he has won 23 Grand Slam titles," he added.