{"id":36013,"date":"2025-03-26T02:38:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T02:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=36013"},"modified":"2025-03-26T02:38:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T02:38:11","slug":"breaking-novak-djokovic-makes-big-decision-that-reinforces-fact-he-has-changed-his-scheduling-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=36013","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Novak Djokovic makes big decision that reinforces fact he has changed his scheduling approach"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Novak<\/figure>\n

Novak Djokovic celebrates with the Madrid Open trophy<\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic is set to compete at this year\u2019s edition of the Madrid Open after a three-year absence from the Masters 1000 tournament.<\/p>\n

Having played a light schedule and missed several Masters 1000 events in recent seasons, Djokovic has adjusted his approach far in 2025.<\/p>\n

Djokovic\u00a0decided to play the Miami Open for the first time since 2019, and it has now been confirmed he will also make his return to Madrid.<\/p>\n

The Madrid Open announced the news of Djokovic\u2019s participation in a post shared on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cNovak Djokovic is set to return to the #MMOPEN,\u201d the post read.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will mark @djokernole\u2019s 13th appearance in Madrid, having first competed there in 2006, when he began his long and fruitful journey with a victory over Richard Gasquet.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, he has claimed the trophy three times (2011, 2016, 2019), amassing an impressive 30-9 record at the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you soon, Nole!\u201d<\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic News<\/h2>\n

Novak Djokovic\u2019s 11 most incredible Masters 1000 tournament records<\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic candidly addresses hopes of breaking Jimmy Connors\u2019 ATP title record<\/p>\n

Djokovic is a three-time champion from his 12 previous appearances at the Madrid Masters, which was staged on indoor hard courts until 2008 before switching to clay in 2009.<\/p>\n

The Serbian has won all three of the finals he has reached in Madrid, defeating Rafael Nadal in 2011, Andy Murray in 2016 and Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2019.<\/p>\n

How did Djokovic perform in his last appearance in Madrid?<\/h4>\n

In his most recent Madrid campaign \u2014 in 2022 \u2014 Djokovic was the No 1 seed when he progressed to the semi-finals with wins over Gael Monfils and Hubert Hurkacz (he also received a third round walkover from Andy Murray).<\/p>\n

In the last four, Djokovic fell 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-7(5) to Carlos Alcaraz after three hours and 38 minutes in an epic first match of the pair\u2019s rivalry.<\/p>\n

Why did Djokovic not play in Madrid in 2023 and 2024?<\/h4>\n

Djokovic made the decision to miss each of the previous two editions of the Madrid Open, with the Serb preferring to play the other two clay-court Masters events in Monte Carlo and Rome.<\/p>\n

An unspecified injury was cited by the tournament as the official reason for Djokovic\u2019s withdrawal in 2023, while no explanation was given in 2024.\u00a0Djokovic also skipped the Masters 1000 event in 2021.<\/p>\n

It proved a successful move in both 2021 and 2023 as Djokovic secured the French Open title in each of these years.<\/p>\n

Where is Djokovic playing currently?<\/h4>\n

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is currently in action at the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, where he will face Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16.<\/p>\n

READ NEXT:\u00a0Novak Djokovic analyses Joao Fonseca\u2019s rise and names two other stars who can challenge Alcaraz, Sinner
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic celebrates with the Madrid Open trophy Novak Djokovic is set to compete at this year\u2019s edition of the Madrid Open after a three-year absence from… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING : Novak Djokovic makes big decision that reinforces fact he has changed his scheduling approach - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=36013\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Novak Djokovic makes big decision that reinforces fact he has changed his scheduling approach - 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