+ A
A -
AFP
Miami
World number two Novak Djokovic won't defend his ATP Miami Masters title next week, saying Sunday that he was withdrawing because of injury.
"I apologize to my fans and ppl who purchased tickets to watch me play live at @MiamiOpen. Sadly, I'm injured and won't be able to compete,"the Serb star said on Twitter.
Tournament organizers confirmed in their statement that Djokovic was battling an elbow problem.
"Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw due to an elbow injury,"officials said."We wish a quick recovery to our champion.
Djokovic joins world number one Andy Murray on the sidelines for the elite hard court tournament. Murray pulled out Saturday with an elbow injury.
Even as Murray was announcing his withdrawal on Saturday there were reports that Djokovic was seeing a doctor in Monte Carlo about elbow trouble after falling in the fourth round to 16th-ranked Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Indian Wells Masters.
It Kyrgios's second victory in as many weeks over Djokovic, after an upset triumph in the quarter-finals at Acapulco.
Not only are the world's top two men missing from the Miami event, the biggest name in the women's game, Serena Williams, will miss the Florida tournament with the knee trouble that also caused her to opt out of Indian Wells.
The tournament will, however, have the women's world number one, with Germany's Angelique Kerber posed to return to the summit on Monday despite a fourth-round exit at Indian Wells because of Williams's inactivity.
