DJOKOVIC’S WITHDRAWAL OPENS DOORS FOR OTHER CONTENDERS IN MADRID BY RICKY DIMON

Written by: Staff on 5th May 2014

Monte Carlo Masters in Roquebrune Cap Martin

DJOKOVIC'S WITHDRAWAL OPENS DOORS FOR OTHER CONTENDERS IN MADRID BY RICKY DIMON

epa04171599 Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarter final match against Guillermo Garcia Lopez of Spain at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 18 April 2014. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER |

Novak Djokovic withdrew from Madrid on Sunday due to his ongoing right arm/wrist problem. It had flared up last month in a Monte-Carlo semifinal loss to Roger Federer.

“I am very sorry for the Madrid tournament and all the Spanish fans to have to pull out of the Mutua Madrid Open,” Djokovic said. “I did everything possible in order to play in Madrid, which is one of the biggest events of the year, but unfortunately my right arm injury has flared up again. Now I will take some time to recover and heal my injury, hoping I will be ready for Rome.”

The world No. 2’s absence should fuel plenty of hope for other contenders, especially in the bottom section of the draw. David Ferrer is now arguably the favorite to reach the semifinals out of the that quarter, while fellow seeds John Isner and Fabio Fognini should also have a chance. Even a strong crop of unseeded floaters in Ferrer’s quarter have to be licking their chops over a possible shot at either a quarterfinal or even semifinal berth. That group includes Marin Cilic, Ernests Gulbis, and Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Stanislas Wawrinka is now the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the bracket. The world No. 3 is on a collision course for the quarterfinals with Barcelona champion Kei Nishikori in what would be a showdown between two of the hottest players on tour.

Rafael Nadal, who is looking to bounce back from surprising quarterfinal losses in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, could meet either Tomas Berdych or Grigor Dimitrov in the quarters. Berdych reached the Oeiras final before being upset by Carlos Berlocq on Sunday. Dimitrov stunned Djokovic in last year’s Madrid second round before succumbing to Wawrinka.

Because of Djokovic’s early loss in 2013, he will lose only 10 points as he bids to regain the No. 1 ranking from Nadal.

Topics: Madrid, Novak Djokovic, Ricky Dimon, Tennis News, withdrawal

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10sBalls_com says:

May 5, 2014 at 7:27 am

DJOKOVIC’S WITHDRAWAL OPENS DOORS FOR OTHER CONTENDERS IN MADRID – http://t.co/oBrZRP1yI4 @DjokerNole #withdrawal @MutuaMadridOpen #tennis