Djokovic and a series of tennis stars officially withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters 2026

A total of six players have officially withdrawn from this year's Monte Carlo Masters, with the most notable name being Novak Djokovic, the biggest star confirming he will not participate in the prestigious tournament in the Principality of Monaco.

Djokovic not participating in Monte Carlo Masters 2026

The ATP Masters 1000 tournament on clay courts in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (France) will take place from April 5 to 12 at the Monte Carlo Country Club, with 56 players competing in the main draw. World number one and reigning Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz will be the top seed, while Jannik Sinner – the world number two – leads the other half of the draw.

Alexander Zverev is seeded number three, but the participant list is missing Djokovic – currently ranked fourth in the world. The Serbian player decided not to participate in the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time since 2011, as he continues to maintain a reduced playing schedule to preserve his physical condition.

The two-time Monte Carlo champion was subsequently "followed" in the withdrawal list by Taylor Fritz – who was projected to be the eighth seed – due to not fully recovering from a prolonged knee injury. Next are Jack Draper (world rank 25) and Sebastian Korda (world rank 42).

Two Spanish players, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Jaume Munar, have also officially withdrawn. Notably, Davidovich Fokina, currently ranked 17th in the world and projected to be the 14th seed, will drop significantly in the rankings as he cannot defend the 400 points from his semifinal result last year.

In the previous season, the Spanish player defeated Draper (seed number 5) in the third round and overcame Alexei Popyrin in the quarterfinals, before losing to Alcaraz himself in the semifinals. Additionally, he also reached the Monte Carlo final in 2022. With an early exit at this year's Miami Open, Davidovich Fokina is almost certain to fall out of the top 20.

Meanwhile, Munar – who has not played since reaching the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open in February – does not face ranking pressure as last year he was eliminated in the qualifying round.

Following the withdrawals, six players including Sebastian Baez, Terence Atmane, Daniel Altmaier, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Marton Fucsovics, and Kamil Majchrzak have been promoted to the main draw. The draw ceremony will take place on April 3, but further changes are likely before the tournament begins.