Novak Djokovic joins Nadal, Federer & Thiem in pulling out of Miami Masters

Novak Djokovic recently took to Twitter to confirm that he has withdrawn from the 2021 Miami Masters.

The Serb wrote in his statement that he will not be travelling to Florida for the Masters 1000 tournament, which is scheduled to start from 22 March. Instead, he has chosen to spend some more time with his wife Jelena and his two kids.

"Dear fans, I’m very sorry to announce that this year I won’t travel to Miami to compete," Novak Djokovic wrote. "I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my family."

Dear fans, I’m very sorry to announce that this year I won’t travel to Miami to compete. I decided to use this precious time at home to stay with my family. With all restrictions, I need to find balance in my time on tour and at home. I look forward to coming back next year!

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 19, 2021

Novak Djokovic also mentioned that he did not want to go through the inconvenience of traveling across continents amid strict quarantine restrictions. The Serb is keen on finding a balance between playing on the tour and being home with his family, and in that context pulling out of Miami made sense.

"With all restrictions, I need to find balance in my time on tour and at home," Djokovic added.

The World No. 1 ended his message on a positive note, stressing that he was looking forward to making his return to the hardcourt tournament in 2022.

"I look forward to coming back next year!" Novak Djokovic wrote at the end of his statement.

With Novak Djokovic out, Daniil Medvedev will be the top seed at Miami

Novak Djokovic after beating Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic took another giant step in his march towards undisputed greatness a few weeks ago by winning his ninth Australian Open title. But the Serb injured an abdominal muscle during his third-round outing in Melbourne against Taylor Fritz, with a medical examination later confirming it was a 2.5 cm tear.

A couple of weeks ago, Novak Djokovic's team included the 2021 Miami Masters in his schedule - suggesting that the tear had healed sufficiently for the 33-year-old to get back on the court. But Djokovic himself has now put all the rumors to rest by announcing his withdrawal from Miami - a tournament he has won six times in his career.

The World No. 1 thus joins Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem in sitting out of the year's first Masters 1000 event. Federer was the first to announce his absence, as his quarterfinal final loss in Doha made him realize he wasn't ready to play at a high level yet.

Rafael Nadal and Domini Thiem also subsequently announced their withdrawal from the tournament, which will now be headlined by the younger generation.

Here are the projected top 8 seedings at Miami in the absence of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem & Roger Federer:

1. Daniil Medvedev (RUS)

2. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

3. Alexander Zverev (GER)

4. Andrey Rublev (RUS)

5. Diego Schwartzman (ARG)

6. Matteo Berrettini (ITA)

7. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)

8. Denis Shapovalov (CAN)