Serbian world number 1 Novak Djokovic has decided to withdraw from the Miami Open to spend more time with his family. The 33 year old sustained a muscle tear during the Australian Open and will look to recover before playing the Monte-Carlo Masters and the ATP 250 Serbia Open. Rafael Nadal will also be absent from the Miami Open as the Spaniard is still recovering from a back injury. Nadal has reached the finals of the Miami Open on five occasions and holds a 40-12 record. He will be using this time to recuperate and get ready for the clay court season in Europe. This will be the first time since 2004 that the tournament will not feature Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. In addition, Serena Williams has also backed out from the tournament following a recent oral surgery. Williams has won the Miami Open eight times but has not featured in competitive tennis since being eliminated in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. With the absence of the traditional favourites, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev will fancy their chances in Miami. A victory in the Miami Open would be a big leap forward for any of them and a possible sign of things to come once Federer, Djokovic and Nadal finally decide to hang their boots.
