Novak Djokovic was spotted leaving a hospital in his native Serbia just days after pulling out of the ATP Finals due to injury. The tennis great was reportedly seen leaving a hospital in Belgrade on Thursday (November 7) with his wife Jelena, with Serbian media platform Sport claiming that the 37-year-old was accompanying his father, Srdjan, to an appointment.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has had his troubles as of late with niggling injuries forcing him to withdraw from the season-ending tournament which commences on Saturday (November 10). The Serb holds the record for the most wins at the tournament, having claimed his seventh triumph last year when beating Jannik Sinner in the final.
His non-participation this week spells only the second time Djokovic will miss out on the event since making his ATP Finals debut in 2007. The Olympic gold medalist was last in action at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia last month where he was beaten by Sinner before scoring his last-ever win against Rafael Nadal who will retire from tennis after the Davis Cup later this month.
Djokovic – who also pulled out of last week’s Paris Masters – took to Instagram to announce his withdrawal from the season-ending event as he wrote: “It’s quite an honor to qualify for the @nittoatpfinals in Turin. I was really looking forward to being there, but due to ongoing injury I won’t be playing next week.
“Apologies to those who were planning to see me. Wishing all the players a great tournament. See you soon!” Djokovic’s sole title this year was the Olympic gold medal he won in Paris this summer after besting Carlos Alcaraz just weeks after losing to the Spaniard in the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic’s father has experienced ill health in recent years as the 63-year-old was rushed to hospital in April earlier this year after suffering a fall. Srdjan’s sudden trip to the emergency centre in Belgrade saw Djokovic scrap his plans to compete at the Rome Open in preparation for the French Open so he could be by his father’s side alongside his brother Marko.
Serbian outlet Zurnal claimed that while feeding birds at home, Srdjan fell from his chair and hit his arm on the floor which caused him to suffer a fracture to his upper arm. The Serb was forced to undergo an operation.