Novak Djokovic follows Rafael Nadal in pulling out of Madrid Open 2023

In a shocking development, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2023 Madrid Open. This comes just days after arch-rival and fellow 22-time Slam champion Rafael Nadal announced that he too was skipping the third Masters 1000 event of the year.

After his loss against Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Srpska Open on Friday, Djokovic admitted that he would have to think about whether to play Madrid or not. The Serb claimed he wanted to properly recover from his elbow injury before taking the court again.

The elbow had been troubling him all tournament, and Djokovic was even spotted sporting a sleeve over it during his matches in Banja Luka. On Saturday, the 22-time Slam champion's name was taken off the entry list for the Masters 1000 competition.

Although official word from the Djokovic camp is still pending, his withdrawal is most likely a precautionary measure considering his elbow injury.

The 35-year-old had reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open last year, where he fell to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz. Having previously defeated Nadal in the quarterfinals, Alcaraz became the first man in history to beat both Nadal and Djokovic in the same claycourt event.

Novak Djokovic suffered an unexpected Round-of-16 exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters prior to the campaign in Banja Luka, marking a rather poor start to his clay swing in 2023.

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Speaking to the press after his quarterfinal loss at the Srpska Open, Novak Djokovic expressed disappointment with his level on the night. He lamented that he did not feel good on the court and that he was far too sluggish.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion went so far as to say that he wouldn't be able to beat quality opponents on clay if he continued to stay at this level.

“The loss is due to a combination of many things," he said. "He played very well, very solid, and I was a couple of levels below what was expected. I can’t win against opponents who are so solid on this surface with this game. I didn’t even feel good physically on the court, I felt slow, with sluggish legs, I missed a lot of balls, and was totally out of shot. At times I played well, but well below my level."

At the same time Djokovic made it clear that his main goal was the French Open at the end of the clay swing, asserting that Paris was where he wanted to peak. Having started slow last year and gotten better with time, the Serb is hoping he can do the same this season as well.

"It's no secret that you prepare and train for Roland Garros. The same thing happened last year, I had a very slow start to the tour and I started to play better towards the end of the tour," he added.