Seven-time ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic has pulled out of this year’s season-ending tournament in Turin due to a shoulder injury, just hours after clinching his 101st career title at the Hellenic Championship in Athens.
Italian finalist Lorenzo Musetti will replace the world number one when the ATP Finals begin on Sunday, following a gruelling three-hour contest in which Djokovic defeated him 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
“I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best,” Djokovic wrote on social media. “But after today’s final in Athens, I’m sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury.”
The 38-year-old, who also missed last year’s ATP Finals because of injury, revealed that he had been struggling with the shoulder problem throughout the Athens tournament.
“That’s why I didn’t make an early decision on whether to go to Turin,” he told reporters. “I wanted to see how my body reacted. After yesterday’s match, I was hoping it wouldn’t flare up, but even before today’s final, it wasn’t great. I had to take strong medication just to get through the match.”
Djokovic explained that competing at the highest level under such conditions would not be feasible. “There’s no chance for me to go through the entire tournament in Turin with the required level of tennis when you’re playing the best eight in the world,” he added.
Musetti, who needed to beat Djokovic to overtake Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in the rankings and qualify, will now feature in the Jimmy Connors Group. Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik has been named first alternate.
The 22-year-old Musetti’s inclusion marks his debut appearance at the ATP Finals and makes history as the first time two Italian singles players — Musetti and Jannik Sinner have qualified for the same edition of the tournament.
