Novak Djokovic will not be playing at the 2025 Italian Open. The Serb’s withdrawal from the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 claycourt event prompted several fans to take swipes at the 24-time Major champion. Many suggested that the former No. 1 is afraid to potentially face Jannik Sinner, who is set to make his return to competitive tennis action in Rome.
On Tuesday, April 29, the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Italian Open confirmed that Djokovic will not play any part in this year’s edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event. However, the Serb is yet to explain why he pulled out of the tournament, which is the last big ATP Tour-level event before the commencement of the year’s second Grand Slam, the French Open.
The development sparked reactions from tennis fans on X, with the majority opining that Jannik Sinner’s imminent comeback in Rome scared Novak Djokovic into withdrawing from the tournament. Reigning No. 1 Sinner is currently serving the last few days of the three-month ban he agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over his role in his accidental exposure to the banned, performance-enhancing anabolic steroid Clostebol last year.
“Sinner is back, Djokovic goes into hiding ðŸ˜,” a fan wrote.
“Scared of Sinner,” commented another.
“😂😂😂😂. Bro is running away from Sinner and his Italian Army. Novak Djokovic is a pathetic human being that should be jailed for his crimes against humanity,” yet another fan chimed in.
“This just confirms that Djokovic retired against Zverev in the Australian Open semi final to avoid Sinner,” another added.
There were others who took swipes at the ATP No. 5 over his poor run of form across recent tournaments. Since finishing as the runner-up at the 2025 Miami Open, the Serb lost his opening matches at both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open.
“He needs to withdraw from the entire ATP tour already. He’s cooked like my dinner,” one fan opined.
“Great choice for him, at least in this tournament he will avoid a first round defeat,” added another.
“Loser is tired of losing,” weighed in yet another fan.
Following his shocking exit from the Madrid Open, the Serb had spoken up about experiencing a different reality on the ATP Tour.
“Completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years” – Novak Djokovic after shocking Madrid Open 2R exit
Djokovic was the favorite on paper ahead of his second-round match against Matteo Arnaldi at the 2025 Madrid Open. However, the Serb produced a wayward display, and his Italian opponent ruthlessly capitalized on the opportunity to clinch a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
After the match, the former No. 1 admitted during a press conference that losing early on in multiple tournaments in succession is a radically different experience for him compared to his glorious past.
“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,” the Serb said.
Whatever the reason is behind the 99-time ATP Tour-level singles titlist’s withdrawal from Rome, it’s still too early to rule him out in terms of his chances at the French Open. Over the last few years, the Serb’s approach has been to perform at his peak at the Majors.
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Edited by Sudipto Pati
