Novak Djokovic, 38 years old and number 3 in the ATP ranking, announced that he will not take part in the tournament in Monte Carlo, although he was initially on the list of participants and had expressed his desire to compete in the Principality.
After the final at the Australian Open, the Serbian was no longer able to maintain the same pace at Indian Wells, where he was eliminated by Jack Draper, and subsequently also dropped out at the Miami Open, having already reached the final stages.
The decision to miss Monte Carlo suggests a change in strategy for the clay season, with Djokovic set to place greater emphasis on grass-court tournaments, particularly Wimbledon, where he recently stated his desire to win one more Grand Slam title before retiring.
Even though he was expected to start preparing for the clay season early, his absence from the first ATP 1,000 tournament on this surface shows that his priorities for 2026 are different.
Although Djokovic has twice won the title in Monte Carlo and seemed almost certain to participate, thanks to his good relations with the organizers and the periods in which he lived in the Principality, his presence also remains uncertain at the tournaments in Madrid and Rome, the last major competitions before Roland Garros.
The 2026 edition of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is scheduled for April 4-12.
