According to the Marca Tennis website (Spain) Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Mutua Mardid Open for this year. Djokovic missed the tournament last year due to a wrist injury, but this year, it is speculated that the current world number one is exhausted from the matches he has played so far this year and wants to recover well enough to play well at the French Open. The world number one has racked up four titles this season, and all four have come from the biggest tournaments played up to this point (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo). It is the only Grand Slam title missing from Djokovic’s resume, and a victory at the French would give him a career Grand Slam and a ninth major title. With a 5460 point lead over Roger Federer, the world number two, Djokovic probably feels confident enough to skip Madrid. The premises for skipping a Masters 1000 without a penalty are the following:
Age 31 or older
Having 12 years of service on the professional circuit or accumulate more than 600 games
In the Serbian's case he qualifies for two of the three criterias so he will not be penalized point-wise or dollar-wise. With his withdrawal, Roger Federer moves up to the top seed while Brtiain's Andy Murray is now seeded second. Two-time defending champion and four-time winner Rafael Nadal will be seeded third and is looking to regain his confidence in time for the French Open.