Thiem joins Djokovic in skipping Paris Masters

Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Austrian Dominic Thiem has joined world number one Novak Djokovic in pulling out of next week's Paris Masters after struggling with blisters in his foot during the Vienna Open.

US Open champion Thiem complained of the problem after his title defence in Vienna ended in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Thiem would have had little time to recover as the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year starts on Monday.

He is expected to use the break to get some rest before travelling to London for the season-ending ATP Finals, which takes place from November 15-22.

Defending champion Djokovic opted out of the Paris tournament as he will not lose any ranking points under the ATP Tour's revised system this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rafael Nadal will be the top seed at the Paris Masters while Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas will be seeded second with seven of the top 10 men's player attending the tournament.

Nadal, who won his record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this month, will return to Paris seeking to equal Djokovic's record haul of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

The Spaniard has a first-round bye and will open his Paris campaign against Filip Krajinovic or Feliciano Lopez in the second round.

Russia's Andrey Rublev and Argentine Diego Schwartzman will also hope to seal the remaining two spots in the ATP Finals, which is played between the top eight men's single players, with strong results in Paris.

More from Sports

  • Zimbabwe stun Australia to stay unbeaten in T20 World Cup

    Australia were dealt an early blow in their quest to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup after the depleted former champions crashed to a 23-run defeat by Zimbabwe in Colombo on Friday.

  • Arsenal miss chance to go six points clear with draw at Brentford

    Arsenal has wasted the chance to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday, with Noni Madueke's second-half header cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter.

  • India thump Namibia ahead of Pakistan clash

    Defending champions India continued their march towards the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a 93-run win over Namibia in a group A contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

  • Italy crush Nepal in maiden T20 World Cup victory

    Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash on Thursday.

  • Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships reveals major expansion plan

    The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will usher in the start of a new era for one of the Middle East’s most iconic sporting events with plans revealed for an extensive two-phase redevelopment that will transform the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and surrounding Aviation Club Tennis Complex.

News