Novak Djokovic withdraws from Miami Open, rain delays start of tournament

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Mar 15, 2026

Published in Tennis

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MIAMI — The Miami Open got off to a dreary start Sunday.

Rain and lightning delayed the opening qualifying round matches and then, mid-afternoon, the tournament announced that six-time champion Novak Djokovic withdrew due to a right shoulder injury.

The 38-year-old Serbian star competed last week in Indian Wells, Calif., where he lost in the Round of 16 to Jack Draper. He reached the second round in doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was a finalist at this year’s Australian Open.

Djokovic reached the Miami Open final in 2025 before losing to 19-year-old Jakub Mensik. By pulling out of this year’s tournament, he will not have the opportunity to defend the ranking points he earned by reaching that final, so he will lose 650 points in the ATP rankings. He is expected to fall to at least fourth place, behind Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

Although he made many deep runs in the Miami Open over the years (six titles, eight finals), he has played it only once since 2019. He returned last year after missing five years in a row due to COVID and other issues.

Djokovic will shift his focus to the clay season and the French Open.

Meanwhile, all of Sunday’s matches were rescheduled for Monday due to the inclement weather.

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