Belgrade (AFP)
World No.1 Novak Djokovic will not compete in the Masters 1000 in Paris from November 2 to 8, the tournament of which he is five-time winner and outgoing winner, Serbian newspaper Sportski Zurnal reported on Wednesday.
"I am not going to play the Masters in Paris because I cannot win new points there. I will go to Vienna (October 26-November 1, Editor's note) and to London" for the Masters, which brings together in November the eight best players of the season, said the Serbian on the sidelines of training in Belgrade.
Djokovic will not lose points by skipping Paris either, because ATP has changed its ranking system due to the interruption of the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, by extending the reference period from 12 to 22 months.
Rafael Nadal (world No.2, 1,890 points behind Djokovic), who has never yet won the Paris-Bercy Masters, announced Tuesday his arrival in the capital.
The Spaniard sharply beat Djokovic in the Roland-Garros final ten days ago.
"As I did not play in Vienna last year, I can win 500 points there. Besides, a lot of points are at stake in London too," said Novak Djokovic, who is looking to get closer to the longevity record. of Roger Federer at the top of the ATP ranking.
In 2019, he was eliminated by the Swiss in the quarter-finals of the London Masters, scheduled this year from November 15 to 22.
Djokovic had told AFP last week that he intended to play again in these two tournaments, Vienna and London, before the end of the season.
But the Parisian event was also still on its program on its official website.
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