A nagging shoulder injury has forced top-ranked Novak Djokovic to pull out of the Paris Masters 2011 on Friday prior to his quarterfinal match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Djokovic announced via his official website that the injury got worse following his third round win against compatriot Viktor Troicki on Thursday.
The Serbian world number one was initially believed to pull out of the Paris tournament before his first scheduled match. He would have lost around $1.6 million in bonuses had he done so.
“Sadly I have to inform you that I have withdrawn from the tournament. I have pushed myself to the limit by playing, and after the match yesterday my shoulder got worse,” Djokovic wrote.
“For this reason, I have to put my health first and withdraw even though my urges as a professional player are making me want to play until the last drop of energy,” he added.
Djokovic won the Paris Masters title in 2009. He stressed that he still plans to participate at the year-end ATP World Tour Finals 2011 which begins on November 20.
