Novak Djokovic Rightfully Puts Tennis on the Backseat to Explore the Celebrity Inside Him at Miami

Novak Djokovic who still hasn’t won a title this season, sits strong at the top of the ATP ranking. The Djoker had withdrawn from the second leg of the ‘Sunshine Double’ following his shocking exit from the Indian Wells Master Cup by lucky loser Luca Nardi. Soon after the tournament, he was seen spending time in California.

Probably for the first time in his career tennis has taken a back seat as the Djoker could be seen roaming around in Miami while the Miami Open has started.

Novak Djokovic seems to have a fun time in Miami with other “Crocodiles”

Djokovic took to Instagram to make his presence felt in Miami while the tournament is in its nascent stages. Proudly declaring his time off from tennis, he posted a picture of him captioned, “Crocodiles in Miami”. In other pictures, he can be seen posing with Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov, other ‘crocodiles’ sponsored by Lacoste. The brand also sponsored the event and all three crocodiles were seen wearing their apparel.

Only a week after his surprise loss at the Indian Wells, the Djoker had announced his withdrawal from the Miami Open on his social media handles. Citing the reason as the imbalance of his “private and professional schedule” he says, “At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule. I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world”

Djokovic is 8 – 3 this season but still hasn’t secured a title. As the No. 1 ranked player, he has stated in the past that he would be playing fewer tournaments as he gets older. For now, it seems he is highly focused on securing a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe told Adam Zagoria of Forbes that “Novak wants a medal badly.”

The 36-year-old could very well be facing fatigue after playing back-to-back tournaments for almost 2 decades. He was also extremely disappointed after his sole loss to a lucky loser in the Indian Wells and that could have pushed him to skip the Miami Open.

‘wasn’t meant to be’ – Novak Djokovic

In his India Wells presser, Djokovic reflected on his dismal start to the season and specifically his uncharacteristic loss to the lucky loser, “I do play fewer tournaments, so I’m more selective with my schedule. So of course, it’s not a great feeling when you, you know, drop out very early in the tournament.”

The Djoker was returning to the Indian Wells Masters Cup after five years. He said he was hoping for a successful campaign in the desert. “And especially here, I haven’t played five years. I really wanted to do well. But wasn’t meant to be. We move on,” he added. Djokovic has previously won the tournament 5 times.

As he is seen enjoying his time in Miami and has even posted on social media about it, it’ll be interesting for the fans to see the Djoker turn up for a few big ones.

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