Novak Djokovic confirms he will not play in China this year, says ‘I will be missing my fans’
- ATP Tour returns to Shanghai from October 4-15 for first time since 2019, but world No 1 will be absent
- ‘I hope I can come back in the future and play in front of all of you again,’ Djokovic says
World No 1 Novak Djokovic has confirmed he will not compete in China this season, including the Shanghai Masters next month.
The ATP Tour will return to Shanghai from October 4-15, for the first time since 2019. The event was suspended amid the pandemic, with Daniil Medvedev the last player to win the title.
Women’s tennis returned to China on Monday with the Guangzhou Open kicking off a series of tournaments, after governing body the WTA ended its boycott of the country in April regarding concerns over the safety of Chinese player Peng Shuai.
Men’s world No 3 Medvedev – whom Djokovic beat to win his record-equalling 24th grand slam title at the US Open this month – and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will be the headline attractions for the men’s draw in Shanghai. Top 1o stars Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas will also play.
“Over the years, some of the best support I have received anywhere in the world has been in China,” Djokovic wrote in a social media post. “Shanghai has always been one of my favourite tournaments in the season. I will be missing my fans in China. I hope that I can come back to China in the future and play in front of all of you again.”
There will be a total prize money purse of US$8.8 million on offer in Shanghai, with the winner to bank 1,000 ranking points as the race for the season-ending ATP Finals heats up.
