When Novak Djokovic is expected back on court after pulling out of Monte-Carlo

Novak Djokovic has pulled out of next month’s Monte-Carlo Masters, marking the first time in 15 years (excluding 2020) he won’t take part in the event.

The official Instagram account for the tournament shared a message following his withdrawal: “Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament. We send him our best wishes and hope to see him back on court very soon.”

Djokovic has now skipped two straight Masters 1000 tournaments — Miami and Monte-Carlo — leaving fans to wonder when he’ll be back in action.

Novak Djokovic could return to tennis at the Italian Open

By skipping Monte-Carlo, it suggests that Djokovic might also pass on Madrid. He hasn’t had much success at either event in recent years.

His 2025 campaign was especially rough, as he failed to win a match in either tournament.

Historically, Monte-Carlo and Madrid have been his weakest events among the Masters 1000 tournaments.

Given this, a return at the Italian Open seems more likely. Rome has been a strong venue for Djokovic over his career.

Until his unexpected third-round exit to Alejandro Tabilo two years ago, Djokovic had always reached at least the quarterfinals there.

He’s also won the title six times, showing just how well he plays on the Italian clay courts.

A return in Rome could be followed by an appearance at Roland-Garros too.

The timing would give him valuable matches against top competition just before heading into Paris and help him find form on clay.

Novak Djokovic is considering skipping the clay season for a grass return

After falling to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of last year’s French Open, Djokovic took a moment to acknowledge the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving fans uncertain about his future appearances.

Speaking after the match, he stopped short of confirming whether he’d be back in 2026.

“This could have been the last match ever I played here, I don’t know. That’s why it was a bit more emotional at the end,” Djokovic said.

“But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.”

Of all four Grand Slams, many feel Paris is where Djokovic is least likely to claim his 25th title. His main rivals, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, have shown they are particularly strong on clay. The two put on an incredible show in last year’s final that highlighted their dominance on the surface.

If Novak is going to add another major to his collection, many believe Wimbledon represents his best shot. There’s even an argument that avoiding clay altogether could help him prepare better for grass and give him a clearer path back into contention at SW19.

We’ll have to wait and see if Djokovic shifts his focus toward Wimbledon over Roland-Garros. It’s something worth watching as plans come together closer to summer.

For now, though, he remains entered into both events ahead of a demanding part of the calendar that could shape how long we keep seeing him at this level. Until anything changes officially regarding scheduling or fitness issues arise between now and then, expect more clarity soon enough before clay season gets underway later next month, starting with the Madrid Open kicking things off on April 21st.

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