Djokovic joins Murray in pulling out of Miami
THE Miami Open has been stripped of the world’s two best players after Novak Djokovic followed Andy Murray in pulling out with an elbow injury. World No 1 Murray confirmed on Saturday that he will miss the event, which begins on Wednesday, for the first time since 2005. And he was swiftly followed out of the draw by defending champion Djokovic. The world No 2 wrote on Facebook: ‘I have some very disappointing news to share with you regarding the Miami Open tournament. ‘My doctor has strongly advised against playing because my elbow injury, that I keep carrying for months, got worse in the past week. ‘I will do everything in my power to recover and do all the necessary therapy to be able to return on court as soon as possible. Sadly, I won’t be able to defend my title in Miami this week.’ Djokovic’s decision means Murray will stretch his lead at the top of the rankings without having to pick up a racket. Because the Serb won the title in Miami last year and Murray lost in the last 32, the Scot’s lead will increase to more than 4,000 points. It will be the first Masters event since Rome 2005 to feature neither Murray nor Djokovic. After dominating last season, the world’s two best players have now failed to make it past the last 16 in any of 2017’s first three big events — the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami. In the absence of the top two, Stan Wawrinka will be No 1 seed in Florida, with Kei Nishikori second.