Paris, 22 October (H.S.): Tennis great Novak Djokovic announced on Wednesday his withdrawal from next week’s Paris Masters, citing a foot injury he sustained during a recent exhibition tournament. The 38-year-old Serbian star confirmed his decision on social media.The injury occurred last week at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. After receiving an initial-round bye, the 24-time Grand Slam champion lost to Jannik Sinner and subsequently retired from his third-place match against Taylor Fritz after playing just one set.

This setback follows a recent hip problem that plagued him during the Shanghai Masters, where he was eliminated in the semifinals.

Djokovic has played a significantly curtailed schedule this season, competing in only eight ATP Tour events outside of the four Grand Slams. Despite his limited play, he maintained remarkable consistency by reaching the semifinals of all four major tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.

While Djokovic has already qualified for the ATP Finals, scheduled for November 9-16 in Turin, his participation is now uncertain. His withdrawal from the Paris Masters raises concerns about his fitness ahead of the year-end championships, an event he also opted to skip in 2024.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar