“My level of tennis is not where I would like it to be. I’m not sure if I’ll come back. I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player”

Having recently hinted that this season could be his last as a professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic is to sit out the upcoming Italian Open, as the veteran endures a bumpy build-up to the French Open.

No Novak in Rome

On Tuesday, organizers of the Italian Open announced that Djokovic, a six-time winner in Rome, won’t be at Foro Italico for the men’s singles tournament, which kicks off next week.

News of the Serb’s absence came as a surprise, as the event is one of the final chances for players to get clay-court game time before the French Open. The only major played on clay, the Paris tournament gets underway at Roland Garros at the end of May.

Djokovic’s clay calamities

So far in 2025, Djokovic’s only clay-court outings have seen him suffer straight-sets defeats: to Alejandro Tabilo at the Monte Carlo Masters and Matteo Arnaldi at the Madrid Open.

Per Tennis 365, the 37-year-old’s last win on clay was in August, in his gold-medal match triumph over Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics.

“A new reality for me”

And after losing in the opening round in Madrid late last month - his third defeat in a row on all surfaces, and his fifth in his last 10 matches - Djokovic appeared to suggest that he’s mulling retirement from tennis before the 2026 season.

“I’ve had a few of these this year where I lose in the first round, unfortunately,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said, per Yahoo! Sport’s Sam Goodwin. “Still my level of tennis is not where I would like it to be.

“It could be [my last Madrid Open], it could be. I’m not sure if I will come back. So, I don’t know, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’ll come back, maybe not as a player. I hope it’s not, but it could be.”

Djokovic, who has slipped to No. 5 in the men’s world rankings, added: “I was hoping I can play one more match than I played in Monte Carlo.

“Kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament.

“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis. It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court - going out early now regularly in tournaments.”

Djokovic absence “worrying”

Reacting to the announcement of Djokovic’s Rome withdrawal - for which no official explanation has been given - the two-time French Open champion Jim Courier described the news as “troubling”.

“It’s worrying for me, as a Novak fan, because that [the Italian Open] is the best place to get ready for Roland Garros,” Courier told the Tennis Channel on Tuesday.

“The conditions are very similar, you’re back at sea level. If you’re going to play one between Madrid and Rome, Rome would be the one you’d want to play.”

Djokovic boycott over Sinner ban?

It has been suggested that Djokovic’s absence from the Italian Open could represent a form of protest against the short doping ban given to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is to return from the suspension in Rome.

In February, Sinner agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency to serve a three-month ban, having tested positive for the prohibited substance clostebol in March 2024.

The 23-year-old Italian says the drug entered his system during a massage given by a physiotherapist who had used clostebol to treat a wound on their hand.

Djokovic has been publicly critical of authorities’ handling of the Sinner case, telling reporters in February: “It’s not a good image for our sport, that’s for sure.”

He added: “A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favoritism happening.

“It appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers and whatnot.”

When is the 2025 Italian Open? How can I watch it in the U.S.?

The 2025 Italian Open, known as the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for sponsorship reasons, is to take place from May 6 to May 18, 2025.

If you’re in the U.S., you can watch all ATP Masters 1000 events on the Tennis Channel, the ATP Tour says.

Viewers in the states can stream the Tennis Channel on the online platform fubo, which offers a free trial.

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