Sawt Falasteen - World number one Djokovic pulls out of Madrid Masters

"Novak Djokovic is unable to compete at the Madrid Open," the organisers wrote on Instagram ahead of the tournament which starts April 26.

Djokovic's withdrawal, thought to be related to an elbow problem he has been suffering from, is a blow to his preparations for the French Open, which starts at the end of May.

The Serb, 35, suffered a straight-set defeat by compatriot Dusan Lajovic in the quarter-finals at Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday.

Djokovic was beaten by underdog Lorenzo Musetti at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier in April and said ahead of the Srpska Open that his elbow was "not in an ideal condition".

Neither Djokovic or Rafael Nadal, joint record 22-time Grand Slam champions, will take part in Madrid, a key part of the preparation for Roland Garros.

Djokovic missed tournaments earlier this year at Indian Wells and Miami, over his refusal to get a Covid-19 vaccination.

"I was many levels below what I want," said the two-time French Open champion on Friday, after his defeat by world number 70 Lajovic.

"Playing like that, I can't win against opponents who are so solid on this surface. But what can I do? It's simply sport. I was trying but it wasn't working.

"I didn't feel very good physically on court. My legs were slow, I missed a lot of balls. I played well at times, but generally well below standard."

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST